Shane Lowry shares unexpected Rory McIlroy message about Ryder Cup putt and the framed champagne celebration photo

Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy are still talking about one special moment. Even months after Team Europe’s Ryder Cup win, that week has not left their minds. Lowry recently shared that McIlroy texted him again about the celebration from that tournament. The Northern Irish star has even framed a photo of the two spraying champagne after Europe lifted the trophy. Lowry spoke about it during an interview with Kay Adams at TPC Sawgrass on Wednesday ahead of The Players Championship.

While chatting with Adams, the Irish golfer looked back at the emotional moment when he holed a crucial putt during the Ryder Cup. The moment helped Europe keep the famous trophy. It also became one of the most talked about celebrations from the event. Lowry admitted that the celebration happened in the heat of the moment. Nothing was planned. It was simply pure relief after a very tense situation on the golf course. That week clearly meant a lot to the players. And even now, the memories still come up in their conversations.

Shane Lowry says Rory McIlroy still texts him about Ryder Cup celebration after crucial putt against Russell Henley

Shane Lowry explained that the celebration after his decisive putt was not something he planned. It was just a reaction to a huge moment. “Well, this was pure relief when this went in,” Lowry said during the interview with Kay Adams. “If I knew I was going to hole that putt, I would have done something way cooler than that. It was one of the most nerve-wracking moments of my career and I managed to pull it off.”

The Irish golfer said the memory still comes up when he talks with his teammates. In fact, Rory McIlroy recently reminded him of that exact moment. “It’s funny, I was actually just texting with Rory about it yesterday. He just hung a picture in his house with me and him spraying champagne, and we were talking about what a week it was. To hole that putt for all the lads was very cool,” Lowry said.

Team Europe won the 2025 Ryder Cup by 15-13 at Bethpage Black in New York. Lowry’s singles match against Russell Henley turned out to be very important. Europe started the final day with a strong 12-5 lead. But the United States fought back during the singles matches and started closing the gap.

Lowry was still playing when other matches were finishing across the course. At one point, he noticed the scoreboard showing many European results. “I remember walking down over the hill on the sixth and there was a big scoreboard on the left, over by the seventh fairway, and I could see it was all blue,” Lowry told Sky Sports. “I said to Darren [Reynolds, caddie] ‘look at that scoreboard, it looks great’.”

His match with Henley stayed tight until the end. Lowry won the 15th hole, but Henley later had a chance on the 17th and missed a birdie putt. That left the match tied heading to the final hole. Lowry said he stopped thinking too much and just trusted his instincts.

“It’s funny, because you just go into autopilot,” he said. “I was aiming middle of the green on 15 and I pushed my second shot but hit it stiff. Then I stood up in the next and hit the most perfect eight-iron, again, stiff.” Everything came down to the 18th hole. Lowry rolled in an eight-foot birdie putt to secure the half-point Europe needed to keep the Ryder Cup.

Moments later, teammates and staff ran onto the green. The celebrations quickly began with champagne spraying everywhere. Later that night, videos showed the European team celebrating on the bus while singing “Europe’s on fire.” For Lowry and McIlroy, that moment clearly still means a lot.