Shane Lowry sat 6 feet away from history at Bethpage. Russell Henley had already missed his 10-footer. All the Irishman needed to do was sink his ball, and he would have earned Team Europe ½ a point. That would have been enough to secure the Ryder Cup’s retention on American soil. He made contact, and the world stood still for a second. Moments later, a huge celebration erupted in New York. Weeks after making the iconic putt, he revealed how nervous he had been on the 18th green.

He sat down for a press conference ahead of the 2025 DP World India Championship. EssentiallySports asked him if he ever doubted himself at Bethpage. Lowry admitted to his human side, saying, “Yes, it does creep in all the time. I had doubts about myself when I was walking around reading that 18th green. But the one thing that you know when you are playing at that level that I’ve prepared, that I’ve put all the work in in the weeks, months, and years leading up to that, I whack myself because I understand that… They’re there to creep in all the time. If they don’t creep in, then you’re not human. If you don’t get nervous, you’re not human. I somehow managed to get it in the hole, and the rest is history.”

Lowry’s comeback after Henley was 2UP on the 14th was certainly inspirational. However, the fact that he was nervous on the final hole of their singles match doesn’t come as a surprise.

After Cameron Young, Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, & J.J. Spaun had already won their respective matches, it was up to Lowry to turn things around in their favor. And his clinical putt also inspired the team to earn more points. After him, Tyrrell Hatton and Robert MacIntyre tied their matches to help Team Europe push their score up to 15, confirming themselves as clear winners in the 2025 Ryder Cup.

Shane Lowry may have struggled to tie on Sunday. But he was spectacular through the rest of the tournament. Let’s take a look at what he achieved on Friday & Saturday at Bethpage.

Shane Lowry’s memorable performance at Bethpage

Yes, Shane Lowry tied his match, but the fact is, he didn’t lose. That was not just a fact for Sunday, but the entire tournament. On Friday, he teamed up with his close friend, Rory McIlroy, in the fourball match against Sam Burns & Patrick Cantlay. The two teams shared ½ a point after they tied, despite the European duo leading most of the rounds in the match. They could have won the match, but McIlroy missed an 11-foot birdie on the 18th hole to draw level.

On day two, Rory & Shane teamed up again and faced Justin Thomas & Cameron Young. The American pair had come off a huge 6 & 5 win on Friday and were oozing with confidence. However, despite the harsh heckling from the fans, Shane Lowry & Rory McIlroy put on an excellent show to win it by 2UP. The 38-year-old scored a 5-foot birdie on the 18th hole to push their score up to 2 in the end.

Following the triumph in New York, Lowry traveled to Club de Campo Villa de Madrid. After a frustrating missed cut in the 2025 Spanish Open that made him skip the press conference, Lowry would be eager to impress in the DP World India Championship this week.