Rory McIlroy reveals extent of wild Ryder Cup celebrations

Never one to shy away from a victory party, Rory McIlroy explained how him and Shane Lowry took it to another level for the 2023 Ryder Cup.

Johnny Percival

23 Oct 2023

Rory McIlroy recently revealed that his and Shane Lowry's wild Ryder Cup celebrations took him a week to recover from.

Stood trackside at Saturday's F1 sprint race in Austin, Texas, McIlroy revealed that he and Lowry partied so hard after their Ryder Cup victory at Marco Simone Country Club, that he felt the effects for a week after.

McIlroy was in attendance at the F1 race as a guest of French Team Alpine F1, for whom he has now become part owner alongside other professional athletes, including footballers Trent Alexander-Arnold and Juan Mata, boxer Anthony Joshua and NFL superstars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.

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McIlroy had the Ryder Cup with him as he paraded it on American soil and revealed in an interview with Sky Sports that the celebrations that followed Team Europe's dominant victory in the historic team event continued long after the final putt dropped.

When questioned about the extent of his and Lowry's celebrations, McIlroy said:

"Oh, absolutely. So much so that we kept the party going when we got back to the States the week after as well. I think Shane and I needed to recover for a week after having a week enjoying ourselves.

"Ryder Cups only come along every two years...I've been on the losing side of them and it feels awful so, when you do win them, you have to celebrate them. Shane and I definitely did that!"

Clearly delighted to be a part of his first Ryder Cup victory following a painful loss at Whistling Straights in 2021, Lowry went full party mode when he finally got his hands on the Ryder Cup. Videos from the team bus captured the moment beautifully as he led a raucous European team through a number of victory songs and chants.

Later that night, imagery also filtered through on social media, showing Lowry and fellow teammate Tyrell Hatton remaining as the last ones standing as the party entered into the early hours of the morning.

Having joked about attempting to get McIlroy out to Florida to continue the good times, it appears Lowry got his way, and the two continued their celebrations long after they returned home.

McIlroy appeared well recovered when he visited the sprint race in Austin on Saturday, and seemed eager to translate some Ryder Cup team spirit into Alpine, a task he was sure the fellow investors would be able to help do too.

Discussing the team, he said:

"We're individual sportspeople, so we don't get to be part of a team very often. When we win individual tournaments, it's great and you can celebrate with your friends and with your family, but I don't think there's anything like winning and being part of a team, and everyone being invested in the same goal.

"As you said, hopefully we'll bring some of that spirit into the Alpine Formula One team."

McIlroy will next be in action at the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates, where he will be looking to win the DP World Tour's season-ending finale for the third time.

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