Shane Lowry’s message to Rory McIlroy after The Masters embodies friendship

Shane Lowry had a final round to forget at The Masters. The Irishman and former champion at The Open was tied for sixth entering the final round, seven strokes back of his friend and 54-hole leader, Rory McIlroy. He ultimately finished 15 strokes behind his friend and the eventual winner, Rory, after things fell apart en route to a 9-over 81 on Sunday.

When McIlroy walked off the 18th green after defeating Justin Rose in a playoff to capture his first Green Jacket, though, one of the first people after his family that he embraced was Lowry. Just about an hour earlier, Lowry had pushed back at questions about McIlroy, frustrated by his own play and finish to The Masters. But when the two met behind the ropes, it was a warm, hearty embrace accompanied with laughter and pride between friends.

Following the historic week at Augusta National, congratulations poured in for McIlroy finally winning The Masters and completing the career grand slam after more than a decade of trying. On Tuesday, though, Lowry finally chimed in.

Even if late among the outpouring of love to his close friend, Lowry's message perhaps tugged at the heartstrings more than any other.

Shane Lowry sends heartfelt message to Rory McIlroy after The Masters

While Lowry first expressed disappointment in his own finish at The Masters while showing respect to the tournament and the event, he then turned his attention to his close friend winning the Green Jacket, saying, "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. 💚☘️" The message was accompanied by a phenomenal photo capturing their post-win embrace.

Golf on the PGA Tour can be a lonely place. You're on the road, in hotel rooms and away from loved ones far too often. Even McIlroy, one of the world's best for closing in on two decades, experiences that and even showed as much at The Masters, wishing he could see and celebrate with his parents who were unable to be at Augusta.

We've seen throughout the years, however, that the friendships in this game and the bonds formed throughout respective journeys mean that much more. Lowry's sentiment of being happy for McIlroy to achieve the dream of every professional golfer, himself included, is the purest form of friendship. It's the mutual celebration among competitors second and friends first that we, frankly, don't often see in this sport. And there's a ton of beauty in it when we do see it.

Lowry and McIlroy have experienced a ton together in the world of professional golf. They won the Zurich Classic as teammates last season. The pair competed for Ireland in the 2024 Olympic Games as well, teammates again. They weren't teammates during the 72 holes (or, you know, 73 holes after Rory's missed put on the final hole of regulation to force a playoff) at The Masters. When the tournament was over, though, they were teammates and friends once again.

Sometimes, you have to remind yourself that professional golfers and athletes are humans too, even if we often put them on a higher pedestal somehow hovering above the everyday person. Lowry's message to McIlroy is a reminder we need that these are people and, in this case, these are friends just like everyone else has in their lives. That's the stuff that can't be calculated in strokes gained, scrambling percentage or any other statistic.

It's also what makes the game of golf and Rory McIlroy's win at The Masters more special than any stat ever could.