Ryder Cup: Shane Lowry ready to take on more responsibility at Bethpage Black

The safety net was, for Shane Lowry, a strong one. Having so narrowly missed out on automatic qualification, the Offaly man’s wild card selection by Europe captain Luke Donald for the Ryder Cup defence against the United States at Bethpage Black later this month was the first of six to be confirmed, with Lowry – on his third appearance – set to assume added leadership duties.

If there were no surprises at all in Donald’s sextet of Lowry, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Åberg, Sepp Straka and Matt Fitzpatrick to go with the six automatic qualifiers – Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Robert MacIntyre, Justin Rose, Rasmus Højgaard and Tyrrell Hatton – who had already earned their spots, making it 11 of 12 from the victorious team in Rome in 2023, then the gravity of the task ahead was emphasised by Donald: “This is a different animal, trying to win away!”

Donald explained: “When I took this role on two years ago again, I knew I had to come at it from a different angle. This wasn’t going to be the same challenge that it was in Rome. Different challenges require different strategies, and certainly this has been in the back of my mind for the whole captaincy since being appointed for a second time.

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“If you’re prepared and you’re ready, we understand what’s going to happen to us. It’s our reaction to that that’s really important. So we all have fears. We all have anxieties and we all find Ryder Cups pressurised. But these are top athletes that understand how to walk towards that fear.”

The sixth wild card went to former US Open champion Fitzpatrick, whose efforts of recent weeks – answering the call from captain Donald to add the British Masters to his schedule and also playing the Omega European Masters – saw him contend in both and demonstrate his desire to be part of the team and a chance at redemption in improving a poor Ryder Cup record to date.

Still, the sense of continuity from Rome to New York – with the only change that of Rasmus Højgaard replacing his twin brother Nicolai – would bode well for Donald’s team, seeking to become the first to win on American soil since the so-called Miracle of Medinah in 2012.

“Just because we have a very similar team doesn’t mean we are going to roll out the same pairings or the same line-up in foursomes and fourballs. I think over a two-year period, these players do change. Their profiles change, and we’ll adapt to that. This isn’t certainly a question of rinse and repeat from Rome,” said Donald.

Europe captain Luke Donald poses for a photo with the 12 names selected for the Ryder Cup match against the United States at Bethpage Black. Photograph: Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Lowry’s passion for the Ryder Cup is clear for all to see. For a player who wears his emotions on his sleeve, this is what much of his season’s work has been focused on. Making the team. Contributing. Living it.

In relaxing in a luxury armchair in one of the grand rooms at The K Club, Lowry was obviously happy that he got the call. “I’m chuffed,” he said, smiling ear-to-ear, the words matching the body language. “It’s always a big part of my goals at the start of each year, especially a Ryder Cup year is to get on the team.”

Although he might have needed the backdoor pick to get on the team, Lowry – who made his debut under Pádraig Harrington at Whistling Straits in the strangest of all Ryder Cups post-Covid – is ready to bring his passion to the table.

“Team sports is something I always grew up with, and obviously Gaelic football has had a huge part to play in my life and my family life and my upbringing and I think that’s where I get my competitiveness from. I think I get that from my dad [Brendan, an All-Ireland winner with Offaly] and what he was like as a player.

“What can I bring to the team? Honestly, I think I bring a lot. Like, a sense of togetherness. I feel like I’m one of the players that I’m always in the team room. I’m always there. I’m always around. I enjoy the aspect of being around other people and getting everyone together and getting everyone to kind of open up and be themselves. You know, at the end of the day, we’re kind of all working towards one thing and that’s winning the Ryder Cup.

“So yeah, I think I do bring a sense of togetherness in the team room, and I feel like I’m someone that people can open up to and talk to, as well, if I’m needed,” said Lowry, who will be part of the 12-man team who will jet out to New York post the BMW PGA Championship for a two-day reconnaissance of the course and set-up at Bethpage.

What they won’t find out on that reconnaissance is the exact nature of what will await them come the Ryder Cup when the New York galleries are expected to be loud and boisterous.

“There’s been a lot of talk about what the crowds are going to be like and how bad they are going to be. But, hmmm, I don’t know, I think there’s going to be a lot of European fans there. We play week-in, week-out in America. We all live in America, or most of us do anyway, and we have all got a lot of fans in America. I don’t think they can turn on you that bad for one week, but that remains to be seen,” admitted Lowry.

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