New York fans are loud, passionate, and demanding. Win a trophy and you’re a hero; fall short and you’re toast. Just ask Zach Johnson, still under fire for the loss in Rome. Even so, a European pro believes his team can handle the pressure.
In a recent chat with the Why Golf Podcast, Shane Lowry expressed his conviction that his team’s strong following Stateside will be the key to winning over the demanding fans. “I think we’d be ready for it. Like, you know, we’ll be aware of what’s going on,” he begins, “A lot of us live in America. A lot of us have huge support in America all the time.”
Take a cue from Tommy Fleetwood’s magical run at the 2025 TOUR Championship, where he had American fans rooting for him against the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Sam Burns, and Justin Thomas (all Americans). Lowry believes the Europeans can expect a similar support at Bethpage this month, but still he accepts that “for one week, yes, it might be a little bit hostile, but I think it’ll be something that, you know, we’re all big enough and, you know, big and bold enough to be able to look after ourselves, and I think we’ll be fine.”
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This isn’t the first time he has talked about it. Early this month, he stated, “I said it last week when I was asked about it, 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.”
Nevertheless, New Yorkers will have their chance to prove Shane Lowry’s prediction right (or wrong) in 7 days, but in the meantime, the Europeans have been getting creative with their training. According to Rory McIlroy, the team has been using VR headsets programmed with crowd abuse to simulate the hostile environment they’ll face. They’re mentally prepared.
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On the other hand, Europe is set to field its most unchanged team in Ryder Cup history, with only one tweak (Rasmus Hojgaard) to the lineup that won in 2023. Lowry believes that might come in handy as well. “I think the continuity of the whole thing is really great,” he said, and added, “I think it’s just going to be, yeah, it’s, you know, it feels like the stars are aligning, and you know, but it’s going to be very hard, and it’s something that, um, we’re gonna to have to do very well.”
It’s also because of his understanding of the matter that Lowry issued similar advice for Hojgaard.
Shane Lowry tells Rasmus Hojgaard to “just be” yourself
“Just be himself,” Shane Lowry said in advice for Rasmus Hojgaard on the Why Golf Podcast. “Don’t try and be anyone else, just be yourself. No matter how you are feeling, everyone else is feeling like that too. No matter how nervous you feel on the first tee, the guy standing beside you is feeling that too.” It cannot get any more honest than that, and Lowry’s previous statements proved that much. And perhaps it came at the right time for Hojgaard.
The 24-year-old Danish sensation was the final piece of the puzzle, and his Ryder Cup spot wasn’t confirmed until the 2025 British Masters (T13). A standout season, capped off by his win at the 2024 Irish Open – his fifth DP World Tour win – paved the way. In fact, his win at the Irish Open made him the youngest player since Jose Maria Olazabal in 1989 to reach this milestone. He was just too hard to ignore.
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Still, Lowry said in his message, “You have to remember that is the reason you play golf and this is what it is all for.” And make no mistake, Hojgaard understands that much. After making his place in the team, hence replacing his twin Nicolai, he said, “I don’t know what to feel right now. I’ve been so stressed out on the course today,” he said following the Sunday round at the British Masters, but agreed, “I’m over the moon right now.”
As Rasmus Højgaard tees off at Bethpage, he’ll be gunning for a strong victory, drawing inspiration from his brother Nicolai’s winning formula in Rome.