(Reuters) – Ireland’s Shane Lowry said his only focus for the next two years is to help Europe regain the Ryder Cup when the biennial competition is held at the Marco Simone Golf Club in Italy in 2023.
Padraig Harrington’s European team were overwhelmed as the United States reclaimed the Ryder Cup on Sunday, thrashing the holders 19-9 at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.
Debutant Lowry, one of Harrington’s three captain’s picks, earned a point alongside Tyrrell Hatton in the fourballs session but fell to a 4&2 defeat by Patrick Cantlay in his singles match.
“It was amazing. It was one of the best experiences of my life,” Lowry said on Wednesday ahead of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
“I don’t care what I do for the next two years now as long as I’m back in Rome to try to take the trophy back off them.
“I’m just so disappointed for Paddy… I don’t think he deserves the beating we got last week. It’s hard because he’s a very good friend, and that’s what I’m most disappointed about last week is we didn’t perform as a team for him.”
Lowry, 34, said a small minority of the partisan home support had aimed abuse at Europe’s players and their families.
“When I finished my match on 16 on Sunday, I was walking back to follow the other groups and got a huge ovation off the crowd in the grandstand there, that was pretty cool,” said Lowry, the 2019 British Open champion.
“I didn’t think it was that bad until I asked my wife what it was like for her, and they got dog’s abuse going around as well. It’s not very nice for them to have to listen to it, but that’s a small percentage of the crowd.”
The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, cancelled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, starts on Thursday at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns.
(Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
