Tranlate this title Rory McIlroy shares his message to Shane Lowry after 11-shot Irish Open win in spanish

Rory McIlroy was one of the people happiest to see Shane Lowry finally return to the winner’s circle at the Irish Open, and the Northern Irishman made clear that he never doubted his close friend.

Lowry produced one of the best weeks of his career at Doonbeg, finishing at 23-under and winning by 11 shots. The 39-year-old closed with a 63 on Sunday and never allowed the players behind him to create real pressure.

It was also his second Irish Open title, 17 years after he first won the event as an amateur in 2009. More importantly for Lowry, it ended a long wait for another individual victory on the PGA Tour or DP World Tour.

The Irishman had gone through several difficult moments during 2026. He lost a chance at the Dubai Invitational after a bad finish, while the Cognizant Classic brought another painful Sunday when he let a late lead disappear.

McIlroy knew how much those moments affected his friend. Speaking before the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, the six-time major champion revealed what he told Lowry after the victory.

McIlroy says class is permanent

“Still a long way to go. Like I said to Shane afterwards, on Sunday, form is temporary and class is permanent. He is that calibre of a player we all know he is. It was just a matter of him getting back to that point and winning a tournament,” McIlroy said.

The 37-year-old also stressed that the way Lowry finished the tournament could help him in future final rounds.

“I think him finishing it off in emphatic style the way he did, I think it will do a lot for him, and it will hopefully do a lot for him with how he approaches final rounds going forward because I think he would admit himself that final rounds have been a struggle over the last couple years for him.

But I think for him to go out, shoot 63 on the final day leading your national Open with all that crowd support behind you, he really went out there, and he grabbed the tournament by the throat and made it his. It was amazing to see.”

Lowry started the final round with a four-shot lead, but instead of protecting the advantage, he continued to attack. He made eight birdies and only one bogey, with long putts on the seventh, 15th and 18th creating some of the loudest moments of the week.

His 11-shot victory was a new Irish Open record. Bernhard Langer had held the previous mark after winning by 10 shots in 1987.

Lowry admitted after the win that the season had been difficult and that his family had helped him during the bad periods.

“This year has been quite difficult on the course for me. I’ve had a few chances to win, and there’s been some really tough times,” Lowry said.

Lowry and McIlroy have shared big moments before

McIlroy also revealed that he and Lowry had several private conversations during those difficult months.

“He’s had some hard times this year, and we’ve had some chats and heart-to-hearts about it. All I can try to be is a good friend and provide encouragement and maybe provide examples of what I’ve tried to do in those circumstances.

“Yeah, as I said, I think it was only a matter of time. It was amazing to see.”

The friendship between the two Irish stars has been visible for years. They have played together in Ryder Cups, represented Ireland in team golf and often spend time together away from tournaments.

They have also competed directly for titles. One of the best examples came at the BMW PGA Championship in 2022, which was Lowry’s previous individual victory before his win at Doonbeg.

McIlroy finished one shot behind him at Wentworth that year. Even after missing out on the trophy, the former world No. 1 said he was delighted that Lowry was the player who finished ahead of him.

“I’m so happy for him. He’s played a lot of great golf this year,” McIlroy said at the time.

Lowry now returns to Wentworth with a much different feeling than he had only a few weeks ago. The Irish Open win removed a lot of pressure after several missed chances and also gave him another important title at home.

McIlroy will also be in the field at the BMW PGA Championship. The Northern Irishman did not have the Irish Open he wanted, finishing well behind Lowry, but he closed with a 67 on Sunday.

For Lowry, attention now turns to trying to carry this form into another event where he has already won before. McIlroy believes the answer was always there: the form may change, but the quality of his friend never disappeared.

Lowry’s goal in the coming period will be to keep this rhythm and try to produce the same level at big tournaments.

Opinions are divided on whether he can do that, but moments like this certainly give a player the confidence he needs.