Analysis: McIlroy had a blast in New Orleans. It was just what he needed
Rory McIlroy says it was during a drunken lunch after the Ryder Cup that he asked Shane Lowry to be his teammate in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans
By Doug Ferguson
Published - Apr 30, 2024, 09:39 AM ET
Last Updated - May 27, 2024, 01:05 AM EDT
Winning the Ryder Cup might have been more valuable than Rory McIlroy realized.
McIlroy already was emotionally and physically spent from Europe beating the Americans in Rome for a seventh straight time on home soil — and from the celebration into the next morning before flying home with Shane Lowry and their wives.
Turns out the party wasn't over just yet.
McIlroy sent Lowry a text the following day inviting him over to lunch. That turned into dinner, with a couple of bottles of wine in between, and visits from a few South Florida neighbors in Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald and Michael Jordan.
