“Deserves every bit of this,” Shane Lowry pens down EMOTIONAL note following ‘best friend’ Rory McIlroy’s victory at The Masters

Shane Lowry shot a score of 9-over 81 in the final round of the Masters Tournament while Rory McIlroy won the event in a playoff round.

“Deserves every bit of this,” Shane Lowry pens down EMOTIONAL note following ‘best friend’ Rory McIlroy’s victory at The Masters

Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy (Image via Imago/X/@TheMasters)

After years of heartbreak and agony, Rory McIlroy finally achieved his dream. This past Sunday, the Northern Irish golfer won the Masters tournament and became a grand slam champion. His ‘best friend’ Shane Lowry penned down an emotional note regarding him and claimed that he “deserves every bit of this.“

While McIlroy entered the final round as the 54-hole leader, Lowry was also in contention. The 2019 Open Championship winner was T6 going into the final round and needed a big day to chase down his Ryder Cup teammate.

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Lowry made two bogeys on the last two holes of Round 3 and seemed frustrated with himself. He would then storm off the post-round interview. The final round on Sunday turned out to be a disappointing one for him as he fired a score of 9-over 81. This saw him fall off from T6 and finish T42.

While he had a bad day at the office, McIlroy remained in charge on Sunday. The World No.2 had to settle for a playoff after missing a close-range putt on the final hole. In the playoff round, McIlroy knocked down Justin Rose and finally landed his hands on the green jacket.

Following his win, Lowry made his feelings known on X. Though he expressed disappointment regarding his performance, he was more than happy to see McIlroy walk away as the winner and make history by becoming the 6th player to complete the career grand slam.

I’ve never been happier to watch someone else achieve something that I want so badly myself. Rory deserves every bit of this and I was so happy to be there to watch him make history.

Shane Lowry on X

Shane Lowry claims Rory McIlroy can retire as a ‘happy man’ now following Masters victory

Winning the Masters Tournament and wearing the green jacket is the dream of every golfer. However, only a select few get the chance to call themselves Masters Champion. With Rory McIlroy now being one of them, Shane Lowry claims that McIlroy can now retire as a ‘happy man.’

Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry
Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry (Image via The Irish Independent)

While speaking to the reporters after McIlroy’s win, Lowry revealed that McIlroy always told him that he would retire as a ‘happy man’ if he ever won the green jacket. He also revealed that winning the Masters was something that he always thought about.

This means everything to him. It’s all he thinks about. It’s all he talks about. He’s always said to me that he’d retire a happy man if he won the green jacket. So I told Erica (Rory McIlroy’s wife) he can retire now.

Shane Lowry told the reporters

McIlroy’s win at the Masters Tournament also ended a long winless run for him in the majors. Since his triumph at the PGA Championship in 2014, he had some close calls. His victory on Sunday ended a decade-long drought of major championship triumphs. It also turned out to be his first individual win in the month of April.

Rory McIlroy took home the biggest Masters pay cheque with victory on Sunday

The victory at the Masters Tournament on Sunday brought along a green jacket for Rory McIlroy. Apart from his incredible win at the Augusta National Golf Course, he also took home the biggest pay cheque in the Masters Tournament history.

Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy (Image via X/@TheMasters)

This year, the prize pool of this event was increased once again. In 2023, Jon Rahm won $3.24 million from his win. Last year, Scottie Scheffler collected $4 million from the $20 million purse.

This time, the prize purse was increased to $21 million. This saw McIlroy bag a winning cheque of $4.2 million. It is also the second biggest winning cheque on the tour this season, just behind the $4.5 million that McIlroy got from winning The Players Championship.

McIlroy will now turn his attention towards the RBC Heritage. That tournament will be the 5th signature event of the year this season. After that, he will likely team up with Shane Lowry again and compete in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans as the defending champions.