Browsing: Lowry

NEW DEHLI — Keita Nakajima shot a bogey-free, 7-under 65 to take a two-stroke lead at DP World India Championship after the third round Saturday, moving in sight of his second title on the European tour.

The 25-year-old Nakajima, a former top-ranked amateur, has two European Ryder Cup stars as his nearest challengers with Tommy Fleetwood (69) in second place and Shane Lowry (69) a stroke back in third.

No. 2-ranked Rory McIlroy, the main attraction at Delhi Golf Club, shot 68 and was in a tie for 15th place — seven strokes off the lead heading into the final round.

“I’m probably two shots too far behind to have a realistic chance,†McIlroy said.

Nakajima birdied four of his first eight holes, and then three in a row from No. 12 over a combined 70 feet to jump clear of then-leader Fleetwood. He parred his way home to retain the lead in his bid for a first title on the tour since March 2024, which also came in India at the Hero Indian Open.

Nakajima said the secret to his good third round was being able to watch his playing partner, Lowry.

“I love his swing tempo,†Nakajima said, “and I copied him. So that’s why my swing (was) better than yesterday. And mindset was great.â€

Fleetwood held the overnight lead, birdied two of his first three holes and also the par-5 No. 8. His only bogey came at the 17th after three-putting from 30 feet, but he made amends with a birdie at the last to make it into the final group.

“Keita is not far enough ahead where he’s completely in control,†said Fleetwood, who won the Tour Championship on the PGA Tour in August and was the top points scorer for Europe in its Ryder Cup victory last month.

“Just go into tomorrow, enjoy it. Final group is always great. You’ve got to enjoy those moments. You don’t know when they’re going to come again.â€

NEW DELHI — Shane Lowry ran off five straight birdies on the back nine and then got up-and-down for birdie on the 18th hole Thursday for an 8-under 64, giving him a one-shot lead over Keita Nakajima in the DP World India Championship.

Rory McIlroy decided to leave driver out of his golf bag at tight, tree-lined Delhi Golf Club. He had a collection of bogeys and birdies and settled on a 69 in the inaugural tournament.

“Dog was out of the bag, probably asleep in the locker,†McIlroy said. His bag featured a 3-wood and 5-wood, the latter in case he needed more height for longer shots into par 5s.

That didn’t help him on his 17th hole, the par-5 eighth, when he pulled his tee shot into the trees, advanced it only about 15 yards into the rough made a bogey.

Lowry returned from his Ryder Cup heroics at the Spanish Open last week by missing the cut. Another week into the closing stretch of the season seemed to suit him much better, particularly his iron play and putter.

Starting on the 11th, his five birdie putts were all in about the 10-foot range.

“I putted nicely today. I played nice,†Lowry said. “You know, 64 is a really nice score. It’s not that hard when you are out there but when you start missing fairways it becomes quite tricky.â€

Lowry, who holed the putt that assured Europe would keep the Ryder Cup, played alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, who each shot 68.

There was plenty of reminiscing about their stellar performance before an unruly New York crowd at Bethpage Black. Lowry said one part of Delhi Golf Club went along the streets and they could hear the horns of the nearby cars.

“It was not as off-putting as the Bethpage crowd,†Lowry said.

Nakajima also had five straight birdies in the middle of his round, starting on No. 18 and then four straight to begin the front nine. This is an important time of the year for the former world No. 1 amateur as he tries to get into the top 10 of European tour players who would be granted PGA Tour cards for 2026.

Ben Griffin, who made his Ryder Cup debut for the U.S. team, opened with a 68 alongside another American, Michael Kim, who was late arriving in India because of visa issues. Kim already has won on the European tour this year at the French Open.

This start a big stretch run for McIlroy at the end of the year, as he also plans to play the Abu Dhabi Championship and DP World Tour Championship, along with the Australian Open.

MADRID — Jon Rahm made seven birdies to get back into contention for a fourth title at the Spanish Open on Friday, but fellow Ryder Cup winner Shane Lowry couldn’t fully recover from a poor opening day as he missed the cut.

Rahm’s 5-under 66 put him five shots behind leader Marco Penge of England (67) after the Spaniard had opened with a 72 on Thursday at his home tournament.

Lowry had an even worse start with a 75 in the opening round — two weeks after making the clinching putt to win the Ryder Cup for Europe — and a 68 on Friday wasn’t enough to avoid missing the cut by one stroke.

Penge hit four birdies in a flawless round to sit one shot ahead of a trio made up of Jeff Winther of Denmark, Joel Girbach of Switzerland and Canada’s Aaron Cockerill.

Rahm is tied for 18th. He is trying to surpass Seve Ballesteros as the tournament’s most successful golfer since the creation of the European tour in 1972.

Rahm is making his seventh appearance in Madrid, with his victories coming in 2018, 2019 and 2022. He was runner-up to fellow Spaniard Ãngel Hidalgo in a playoff last year.

Hidalgo won’t be back to challenge Rahm this time after the defending champion missed the cut at three over.

Every great comeback story has a hinge point, and by the time Shane Lowry descended into the 18th and final fairway at Bethpage Black in the eighth match of Ryder Cup Sunday, his dalliance with fate seemed clear.

The Euro Sunday snooze at the Ryder Cup had carried on for too long to be a joke. Either Lowry was going to secure the half-point needed to retain the Ryder Cup right here and now, or the Euros were in serious danger of collapsing in historic fashion.

As he arrived in the 18th, Lowry was clinging to life against Russell Henley, whose week from hell had suddenly morphed into a moment of opportunity. Henley, 1-up on the last, could close out Lowry with a birdie to secure another a shock in a growing red tidal wive — giving the Americans full points in six of their first eight matches of the day. The problem was that Henley’s nerves were getting the best of him, and both golfers knew it. Henley, a prolific putter, had faced an eight-foot birdie putt to close out the match on the previous hole and left it well short. It was the kind of mistake that opened a window, and Lowry was suddenly feeling quite stressed about walking through it.

In the thirty minutes preceding Henley and Lowry’s stroll up 18, everything had broken the Americans’ way: First Justin Thomas and Cameron Young had made birdies on the last to grab unexpected victories and electrify the crowd, then Bryson DeChambeau clawed back from 5-down for a halve with Matt Fitzpatrick, and then Xander Schauffele and J.J. Spaun delivered convincing American wins. Now, suddenly, the attention had turned to the last few groups on the course, who suddenly seemed to be playing their singles matches with the Ryder Cup hanging in the balance.

As the golfers strolled down the fairway before a tense crowd, the beauty of Ryder Cup Sunday was suddenly in full view. The stakes were clear as daylight: Both needed a birdie. So clear, in fact, that Lowry had the good sense to deliver himself a pep talk before he reached his ball in the fairway. As he walked through the green carpet, he turned to caddie, Darren Reynolds, for a moment of levity.

“I said to him, ‘I’ve got an opportunity to do the greatest thing I’ve ever done today,’” Lowry recalled later with a twinkle in his eye.

“And I did it.”

Seconds before clinching the Ryder Cup, Shane Lowry delivered a truly epic line to his caddie, Darren Reynolds.

“I said [to Reynolds], ‘I’ve got an opportunity to do the greatest thing I’ve ever done today,’ and I did it.”

— James Colgan (@jamescolgan26) September 29, 2025

Lowry’s moment of brilliance arrived in three parts. The first: His approach from the fairway, about 120 yards out from the flagstick. As he’d done all week, Lowry seized the opportunity to pressure his opponent, hitting a brilliant pitch shot low through the air and right on the flagstick. His ball landed right next to the flag and spun back neatly to 10 feet. The crowd erupted. Henley responded with a dart of his own, and another eruption.

The second part arrived a few minutes later, when Lowry watched Henley leave his second straight birdie putt short. Suddenly the window of opportunity had grown into a door. Lowry’s eyes grew wide.

The third part arrived just a few seconds after Henley’s miss, when Lowry steadied himself, lowered his focus and struck a calm, comfortable putt straight into the center of the cup. He does not remember a lot of the emotion that came after that ball fell into the whole — a release that topped any the Irishman gave in a long, emotionally charged week of golf. He’d halved the match, and he did not need to explain himself for his emotion: He’d retained the Ryder Cup for Europe.

“To finish the Ryder Cup with a putt from ten feet — to be honest, no [I didn’t expect to be in that position],” Lowry admitted later. “Obviously I have faith in my team to go out, and I thought we were going to win the Ryder Cup early today. But it’s not that — we were going out to win our own match. That was the main goal.”

The experience coming down the stretch had been “the worst two hours of my life.” But now, on the 18th green, Lowry was overcome. His celebration carried on for several minutes, including a sweet serenade from the European faithful in the grandstand. Lowry had fought off the great American Sunday charge. He’d done the greatest thing he’d ever done.

“And I’m very proud of myself,” Lowry said.

And with that, his teammates at the Ryder Cup quieted him in thunderous applause.

This comeback story ended at the hinge point — and Shane Lowry was damn proud of it.

It is not easy being Shane Lowry. Such a close friendship with Rory McIlroy means not only is sporting comparison inevitable but questions towards Lowry are routinely framed with the Northern Irishman in mind. What does Rory think, what would Rory say. Lowry takes it all in good spirit – the vast majority of the time – when he would be entitled to roll his eyes. That also applies to the rogue depiction of the hard-drinking Irishman who has a natural talent for his sport that removes a need for hard work. There are few more dedicated or serious performers than Lowry. He cares almost too much.

McIlroy’s outstanding achievements in golf do not extend to what Lowry produced on Sunday. A stirring comeback from the USA had left Europe in serious danger of letting the Ryder Cup slip through a dozen pairs of hands. It was left to Lowry and a 6ft putt on the final green at Bethpage Black to ensure at least a tie. The man American fans had called a Teletubby over the Ryder Cup’s earlier two days would enjoy the last, deafening laugh. “I still can’t believe it,†Lowry said on Monday morning.

Had Lowry missed, Europe were staring at sporting disaster. His teammates were dropping like flies. If it was only natural to look at the negative, Lowry’s mindset was different. He had turned to his caddie, Darren Reynolds, earlier on the 18th hole. “I have a chance to do the coolest thing in my life here,†Lowry told his bag man. “I did it. And I’m very proud of myself.†On the green, Lowry thought of Martin Kaymer’s converted putt, in identical circumstances for Europe, at Medinah in 2012.

Lowry has an uncanny knack of being at the epicentre of storied events. He was invited to the 2009 Irish Open as an amateur and won. When the Open Championship returned to Ireland a decade later, he prevailed again. Lowry’s latest moment in the sun came on the very day his brother’s wife was having a baby. The golfer’s father, Brendan, an All-Ireland football champion in 1982, looked on as the Bethpage putt dropped.

Lowry’s celebration – so euphoric and so natural – was wonderfully endearing. He had to pause for air at the end. And to think, Shane once dreamed of following in Brendan’s sporting footsteps. He was instead destined to shine on a global stage.

The plan did not involve it all coming down to Lowry of course. He was in match eight of 11 Sunday singles. Europe started the session needing only two points to retain the cup. Yet the very point of putting Lowry – plus Tyrrell Hatton and Robert MacIntyre – at the base of the draw was just in case their games were needed. “I didn’t envision myself going up the 18th needing a birdie to retain the Ryder Cup,†Lowry admitted. “It was the worst two hours of my life. It was horrible.â€

There was also an element of redemption. Lowry had yearned to play in the Ryder Cup before receiving a wildcard pick for Whistling Straits in 2021. His debut, in partnership with McIlroy, involved a heavy defeat against Tony Finau and Harris English. Lowry lost in the singles against Patrick Cantlay as the USA inflicted a record defeat on Europe. Much is made of McIlroy’s tears in Wisconsin but Lowry was similarly distraught. “No matter how long I play, for the rest of my career I’ll want to be part of this team,†Lowry said at the time. Through a subsequent changing of the guard, Lowry has remained part of the European group who have won back-to-back cups.

Lowry is mobbed by fans as the celebrations get under way in earnest. Photograph: Harry How/Getty Images

Lowry is hugely respected among his European teammates. He has influence and fuels camaraderie way beyond the golf course. He is a great storyteller, quick-witted and does a fine line in self-deprecation. The 38‑year‑old is fiercely loyal, not least towards McIlroy. Lowry is in fact central to everything that makes Europe so successful as a team; everything the USA cannot seem to get quite right.

“I’m so proud of Shane,†McIlroy said. “I’m so grateful to have him in my life. Honestly, he put his arm around me on Saturday afternoon and he was a big reason we won that point. He has been immense this week.

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“This is Shane’s third Ryder Cup and it is his best performance, absolutely immense. What Shane did will stay with [him] for the rest of his career.â€

McIlroy’s assessment, as ever, is spot on. He was clearly tired during the fourball session on day two when Lowry stepped forward. It needn’t always be the Rory show. The big brother he never had helped out.

“You think back to the Irish greats in the game, they have all holed putts to win the Ryder Cup and I got my moment,†Lowry added, in reference to Eamonn Darcy, Philip Walton, Paul McGinley, Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke. Lowry is proud of his heritage and his homeland.

Thoughts will turn inevitably towards how Lowry might build on this. He has the ability to add to his solitary major success. In two years’ time, he will be back on Team Europe at Adare Manor. He is a future captain in waiting. But that big picture can wait. MacIntyre revealed he and Lowry planned to vanish into New York. It will prove impossible for either to remain invisible.

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — The ball tumbled into the cup, then Shane Lowry leaped and got huge air.

A moment later, the green, white and orange Irish tricolor came flying from the stands. Lowry, still shaking after a putt that punctuated a high-drama afternoon at Bethpage Black, snatched it up and held the flag high.

No wonder he lives for the Ryder Cup.

With a sure thing slipping from Europe’s grasp Sunday, Lowry hit a perfect drive straight down the 18th fairway, hit the approach to 6 feet, then drained the putt that gave his team the harder-than-expected 14th point it needed to bring the cup home.

Walking up the fairway, Lowry told his caddie “I have a chance to do the coolest thing in my life here. And like, the Ryder Cup means everything to me.â€

Europe went on to win 15-13. A bonus for the 38-year-old Irishman — Europe will defend the cup two years from now in Limerick, Ireland.

What a great two years it will be for Lowry, who adds his name to a long list of Irish golfers who have come up big at the Ryder Cup: Paul McGinley, Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell, Christie O’Connor, Phillip Walton.

The Ryder Cup is, of course, bigger than one country — in Europe at least — and nobody has bought into the importance of this biennial event more than the brawny Irishman who recorded one of the most memorable draws in the history of the cup.

He won his only major, The Open, at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. Now, he’ll go down as the man who saved the day at Bethpage.

“I’ve been so lucky to experience amazing things in this game,†Lowry said. “That was the hardest couple of hours of my whole life, honestly.â€

This was expected to be a drowsy Sunday, thanks in part to Lowry’s putting over the first two days of the tournament. With his partner, Rory McIlroy, fending off a hostile crowd, it was Lowry who made testy putts of 8, 5 and 5 feet over the last four holes to hang onto a 2-up victory in Saturday fourballs.

At the time, it looked like piling on. Europe started singles with a 12-5 lead, the biggest ever under the current format that dates to 1979.

Two points. Two miserly points from 11 matches. So easy to say, much harder to actually accomplish. Anybody in any doubt about that need only ask Luke Donald.

A Ryder Cup broke out under the blaring sun at Bethpage Black on Sunday. The competitive spirit summoned by the United States of America ultimately was not enough to rip the 17-inch trophy back from Europe’s grasp but wow, did they give Donald and his players a shuddering fright. A singles session that started with the visitors eyeing a procession and record breaking was dominated by Keegan Bradley’s US team. Donald surely feared one of the worst sporting capitulations of our time. How would they recover? How would Europe’s golfers ever recover?

They have been spared that nightmare. It was not Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose or Tommy Fleetwood who carried Europe over the line at Bethpage. Instead, Donald and his players collapsed in an exhausted heap as Shane Lowry holed out from 6ft on the final green of match eight to ensure at least a draw. The record books will show a European win, 15-13. They will not depict the breathlessness.

For Lowry, this was as epic a moment as when he won the 2019 Open Championship. A golfing continent exhaled as Lowry danced across the putting surface with unbridled joy. “That was the hardest couple of hours of my whole life,†a tearful Lowry said. “ I can’t believe that putt went in. The Ryder Cup means everything to me.â€

How precarious this situation was can be explained by the fact that when Lowry took to the 18th tee, Europe held no lead in the four games left on the course. The Irishman was one down. Russell Henley hit a glorious bunker shot to set up a chance of sealing his point. Henley, incredibly, left his putt short. Cometh the hour, cometh the Offaly man.

This was, eventually, a triumph for Donald’s diligence and planning. It should also, though, serve as a reference point for spectator behaviour. Too much of what transpired in New York, largely towards the visiting team, should never be seen at a Ryder Cup again. Golf should be proud of its failure to embrace a yobbish culture. It should recoil at the abuse dished out to Europe as they rampaged towards victory. Adare Manor in 2027 has to and surely will be totally different. McIlroy’s defeat by Scottie Scheffler was due in no small part to the mental exhaustion suffered by the Masters champion. The treatment of McIlroy over three days here was disgraceful.

Europe captain Luke Donald celebrates after Tyrrell Hatton halves his match on the 18th hole during the singles to win the Ryder Cup. Photograph: Paul Childs/Reuters

There was an on-course ruckus to add to the mix. Bradley became irritated by the drop given to Rose – or the time taken to decide on it – on the 13th, the Englishman’s second shot to the par five having found a road. After a delay of about 15 minutes, with Bradley still chuntering in the ear of a referee, Rose played from scrubland at the back of a spectator stand; quite wonderfully, as it transpired. Rose’s shot finished within 6ft of the hole, from where he converted to pull one back against Cameron Young. As Rose won the 14th as well, Young’s lead was suddenly under threat. Bradley continued to mump and moan. Young lightened his captain’s mood with an 11ft putt on the final green to snatch a point from game one.

Justin Thomas backed up Young by seeing off Fleetwood, again on the last. Bryson DeChambeau had been five down after seven to Matt Fitzpatrick but rescued half a point. “I love my country,†said DeChambeau, in typically understated fashion. Scheffler’s game with McIlroy also went the distance, the world No 1 signing off from what was overall a disappointing tournament on a high.

“This has been a really special team and it’s been a lot of fun,†Scheffler said. He is, however, clearly far more at home in individual battle. Light relief for Donald was supplied by Ludvig Åberg, who beat Patrick Cantlay 2&1. Half a point needed. Half a point!

Red was added to the leaderboard by Xander Schauffele, who defeated Jon Rahm, and JJ Spaun’s success over Sepp Straka. Europe were now firmly in squeaky bum territory. Rasmus Højgaard was struggling against Ben Griffin in the battle of the Ryder Cup rookies and Tyrrell Hatton was locked in a tense battle against Collin Morikawa. Could match 11 of 11, where Robert MacIntyre was taking on Sam Burns, really be pivotal? Lowry ended that notion. Griffin prevailed, Hatton halved with Morikawa, before Burns three-putted the last for the same result. Europe won just one singles game to the US half-dozen.

Europe’s Sunday task had been simplified further by the removal of Viktor Hovland from the singles because of a neck injury. In what was a rare example of the Ryder Cup’s envelope rule, the US player pre-determined by Bradley to sit out in a scenario such as this was revealed as Harris English. Both teams took half a point. In keeping with the tone of this competition, US fans heckled Hovland as he watched his teammates from the fairways. And, one assumes, between his fingernails.

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — From the moment Bethpage Black was announced in 2013 as this year’s Ryder Cup host, there was an expectation the competition could be one of the loudest — and potentially rowdiest — in recent memory.

But what transpired Saturday in the afternoon four-ball match that featured Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry turned into something beyond the expected.

Over 18 holes, the European stars were heckled and yelled at repeatedly, in particular during their pre-shot routines or before they hit a putt. As the match against Justin Thomas and Cameron Young progressed — and Europe’s lead on the United States grew — the intensity from the crowd escalated, leading to increased security and multiple fan ejections.

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On the fourth green, McIlroy had to back off his ball multiple times as fans yelled at him.

“We knew what we were going to get coming here. It was a very tough day,” Lowry said. “Being out with Rory doesn’t make it any easier. I think he’s getting the brunt of it.”

Earlier Saturday in foursomes, McIlroy was yelled at as he lined up to hit a shot and responded, “Shut the f— up!” which was caught on the TV broadcast.

“I don’t mind them having a go at us. Like, that’s to be expected. I mean, that’s what an away Ryder Cup is,” McIlroy said after his morning match. “Whenever they are still doing it while you are over the ball and trying to hit your shot, that’s the tough thing.”

Tensions continued to rise as fans zeroed in on McIlroy. Those ranged from “F— you, Rory,” to specific comments about McIlroy’s previous major losses at Pinehurst, to how his Masters win this year was “a fluke”, to his personal life and even his marriage. Lowry received his share of insults, too, with some about his weight, his lack of contributions to McIlroy in their partnership and how much they both “couldn’t handle the fans.”

“Look, when you play an away Ryder Cup, it’s really, really challenging,” McIlroy said. “It’s not for me to say. People can be their own judge on if they [took] it too far or not.”

By the ninth hole Saturday afternoon, nearly 20 New York State Police troopers lined the ropes as the players teed off. Some Bethpage State Park Police officers on bikes monitored the galleries.

On the 10th hole, after Lowry and McIlroy had hit their tee shots, Lowry called over a state trooper and had him throw out a fan who had directed a comment at McIlroy before he hit his drive.

Rory McIlroy heard it from the crowds at Bethpage Black — and gave it right back during a pair of wins Saturday. Brendan Mcdermid-Reuters via Imagn Images

In a statement, the PGA of America said it added security and state police to McIlroy’s match as well as the other afternoon sessions. It also increased the number of messages on videoboards regarding fan behavior.

“We will continue to closely monitor fan behavior and take appropriate action,” the PGA said.

New York State Police spokesman Beau Duffy said two fans were ejected.

But despite the added security, the noise and heckling continued. When McIlroy lined up to hit a putt on the 11th green, multiple marshals, rules officials, and both Thomas and Young had their arms raised trying to get the fans in the nearby grandstand to stand down and let McIlroy go through his routine.

While standing behind that green, European player Robert MacIntyre, who sat out the afternoon session, pointed to a member of the European staff that Thomas, who had been feeding off the crowd’s energy, was playing both sides.

“He’s f—ing gearing them up and now he’s trying to calm them down,” MacIntyre said.

McIlroy appeared to bottle up any emotions in the midst of the frenzy until he could fire back. On the 14th hole, with the match all square, he sank a birdie putt, picked up his ball from the hole and erupted. He fist-pumped and gestured toward the crowd in the grandstands, letting out several yells of “Come on! Come the f— on!” before staring at the fans for an extended period. When Thomas missed his birdie putt to give the Europeans a lead in the match for the first time since the ninth hole, McIlroy stared at the crowd again and pointed to the scoreboard.

“It was a really difficult day,” McIlroy said. “I’m drained … I’m going to sleep well tonight.”

On the 18th green, after their 2-up victory over Thomas and Young, McIlroy and Lowry both embraced their wives and teammates before celebrating with the crowd in the grandstand, which had become filled with several groups of loud European supporters.

“I thought the fans were passionate. I mean, their home team is getting beat bad,” U.S. captain Keegan Bradley said about the American crowd’s behavior. “I wasn’t at Rome, but I heard a lot of stories that Rome was pretty violent as well. You’re always going to have a few people that cross the line, and that’s unfortunate … part of it our fault. We are not playing up to the standards that they want to see, and they are angry, and they should be.”

Lowry, however, described the experience Saturday as unique.

“It was intense. It was like something I’ve never experienced,” Lowry said. “But this is what I live for. This is it. This is, like, honestly, the reason I get up in the morning, for stuff like this. This is what I love doing. I love being a part of this team. I really want us to win this tournament.”

Sep 25, 2025, 12:14 PM ET

Kyle Lowry is joining a new team, without leaving his current team.

Prime Video announced Thursday that it has hired Lowry — the Philadelphia 76ers guard who is about to enter what will be the 20th season of his pro career — as an NBA on Prime analyst. It’s a multiyear deal, with Lowry “making select appearances” this season, Prime said, adding that he will have “increased responsibilities in the future.”

NBA on Prime’s coverage of the league will begin Oct. 24 with a doubleheader, Boston at New York followed by Minnesota at the Lakers. Lowry is expected to have some role that night; the 76ers do not have a game that evening.

“I’m excited to start the next chapter of my basketball journey with the Prime Sports team,” Lowry said. “The talent they’ve assembled is incredible, and together we’ll deliver something fresh and special for basketball fans worldwide. It’s an honor to be part of this from Day One, and I’m committed to sharing the insights I’ve gained from my career through NBA on Prime for years to come.”

Lowry transitioning to television seemed inevitable when his playing days end — whenever that happens. He has enormous popularity among his fellow players, as well as coaches, some of whom have noted that he sees the game differently than many players do. And that ability should serve him well in the new role with Prime Video.

“Kyle’s a throwback,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said of his former point guard last year. “You can’t just look at his numbers or his points per game or whatever. It’s the impact that he has on winning.”

The 39-year-old Lowry played his college ball at Villanova before entering the NBA in 2006. He’ll be only the 12th player in NBA history to be in the league for 20 or more seasons and just the second point guard to achieve that feat; Chris Paul, now of the Clippers, played his 20th season last season with San Antonio.

Lowry is a six-time NBA All-Star, won an Olympic gold medal with USA Basketball at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, was part of the Toronto team that won the NBA title in 2019 and has said many times that he will retire — somehow — as part of the Raptors, even if it means only signing a one-day contract to make that a reality.

“We look forward to Kyle’s contributions to our team both this season as an active player and in the future,” said Amina Hussein, Prime’s head of on-air sports talent in the U.S. “His authentic personality and deep understanding of today’s game will offer viewers unique analysis as we deliver NBA coverage that celebrates the game and educates fans around the world.”

Prime Video joins the NBA coverage world this season with the league’s 11-year, $76 billion series of rights deals set to begin.

Amazon will show 66 NBA regular-season games on Prime Video this season, with Thursday night doubleheaders beginning in January, Friday evening doubleheaders, select Saturday afternoon games, and the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship game of the NBA Cup in-season tournament.

Prime Video will also show all six games in the play-in tournament, then has part of the league’s playoff coverage as well.

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Rory McIlroy nudged Shane Lowry at a recent European Ryder Cup team gathering as footage of the 2006 football World Cup final was shown. “‘We watched that match together,’†Lowry says McIlroy reminded him. “I was like, ‘What?’ He said: ‘Yeah, European Youths’ Team Championships. Sotogrande.’ From that to sitting at a Ryder Cup dinner, 19 years later is pretty cool.†Next stop, Bethpage.

Lowry has told his close friend that he envies him, in the nicest possible sense. The 38-year-old looked on with smiles, but green eyes, as McIlroy won the Masters – completing a career grand slam – and produced heroics to win a second Irish Open this month. “I said to him the other day, I am starting to get really jealous,†Lowry says. “I also said to him that I hope Irish people realise how lucky they are to have Rory at that level, coming back to play the Irish Open every year.

“He says: ‘Yeah, but how lucky are we to have that support?’ I was very jealous of the Masters, I was very jealous that Irish Open Sunday. I am happy for him, of course I am, but I want to achieve stuff myself.

“I want it so badly. I want everything, I want to achieve it all. If I was to pack it all in now, would I be happy with what I have? I have had a pretty good career. But do I want more? Absolutely. That is the reason to get up in the morning.†McIlroy thinks Lowry can be overly hard on himself.

Lowry laughs when contemplating any interviews where McIlroy is not a key topic for discussion. He jabbed back on the Saturday evening at Augusta, when his pal’s Green Jacket quest was a mistimed line of questioning. “I get it, I totally get it,†Lowry says. “But I have just come off the course. The last thing I want to do is talk about another player doing what I am trying to do the next day.†Which is fair enough.

By 2007, Lowry and McIlroy were part of the Ireland side that triumphed in the European Amateur Team Championship at Western Gailes. Lowry, who beat Victor Dubuisson in the final, can reel off the others in that team without effort. Lowry and Ireland defended successfully in 2008.

“All these guys were great players,†Lowry says. “I never thought I was better than any of them. Amateur golf in Ireland was really popular because of Rory. I learned a lot from that, even playing in front of decent crowds.

“I had always looked at others as being better than me. That helped me. I wouldn’t say I played with a chip on my shoulder, but I played with that fear of not being good enough.â€

That sense still lingers despite Lowry sitting at the top of the game. “All the time,†he says. “You play with a fear of failure. The reason I get up and work every day is because I am afraid to fail. A fear of not being good enough. I don’t go to practise because I think I am good enough. I never play with loads of confidence.

The careers of Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry (right) have been linked closely and they enjoyed success for Europe in the 2023 Ryder Cup. Photograph: Zac Goodwin/PA

“In that 2007 team, I was number four, five or six. I wasn’t even close to the top, I wasn’t part of any Walker Cup conversation. I took a lot of confidence from Western Gailes, went home and won the Irish Close Championship and started doing well abroad.

“I don’t think I ever realised how good I was and I was still so young. Enter tournament, play, if I didn’t win I just moved on to the next week. Then I get an invite to Baltray in 2009 and bang, there you go.†Lowry won that Irish Open when still an amateur.

McIlroy is the golden boy of European, never mind Irish, golf but glances through time link him intrinsically with Lowry. The pair diverged in 2007, when McIlroy made his Open debut and turned professional, but they return to the Ryder Cup arena this week as hugely influential members of Team Europe. They possibly have a point to prove together; at Whistling Straits in 2021, a comprehensive Friday defeat by Tony Finau and Harris English was a miserable experience.

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“We weren’t even close to winning†Lowry says. “People say how great it is to make the team and all that, but there is no point in going then getting the shit beaten out of you. You want to go and win. It’s the same as qualifying for the Masters; there’s no point doing that then missing the cut.â€

That last Ryder Cup on US territory wounded all in European colours. Lowry watched his compatriot and close friend Padraig Harrington criticised heavily for his approach to captaincy. “Brutal,†is his assessment of what Harrington endured. “He has had such an amazing career, is such an amazing man, that it was harsh enough on him.â€

The 38-year-old dismisses any notion of a Covid-affected away game hampering Europe in Wisconsin. “You don’t make excuse. If you are standing there making excuses you are in the wrong game. It drove me on. Since then, my golf has been very consistent. I wanted to right that wrong and even more so this time, going away again even though we are now a totally different team.â€

Lowry was married in New York. Any sense the Bethpage experience has him quaking in his shoes would be completely wrong. “We go there a couple of times a year. I am completely in love with New York, nothing but good experiences.

“This is an opportunity. A lot of people dwell on negatives; how tough it will be, how bad the crowd might be. How amazing an opportunity do we have here? We could write ourselves in history. I have won an Open, a Ryder Cup, my national open. If I was to add this to it, Jesus … I am a very lucky person to achieve what I have so far, but adding this would be amazing.â€