Shane Lowry mightn't have taken the honour of being the top points earner at the 2023 Ryder Cup, but he was undoubtedly at the heart of Team Europe's victorious spirit throughout the weekend in Rome.
A somewhat contentious pick for the Ryder Cup, Lowry proved his worth, earning 1.5 points over the weekend as Europe reclaimed the trophy they lost at Whistling Straits in 2021.
READ HERE: Luke Donald Clip Shows How Much Ryder Cup Selection Meant To Shane Lowry
The highlight of the weekend was arguably Friday afternoon's final hour, in which Europe fought back from losing positions in three separate games to claim a point and a half and go in to Saturday's games with an enormous five point lead.
When Viktor Hovland nailed his putt to half his fourballs match on Friday, Lowry - not even one of the eight players chosen to play on Friday afternoon for Europe - was leading the celebrations, running ecstatically along the edge of the green and getting the crowd going on a memorable day for the team.
Those celebrations - though well received on these shores - were supposedly not seen quite so fondly among Team USA. Justin Thomas was allegedly unhappy with Lowry's antics on the 18th on Friday, and Thomas was to become something of a pantomime villain across the weekend for the European fans.
Thomas chose to spend the days after the Ryder Cup travelling around Italy with his wife Jillian, and shared some photos to Instagram of their ventures in Florence and Lake Como - earning him a cheeky response from Shane Lowry.
READ HERE: Shane Lowry Joins Rory McIlroy's And Tiger Woods' New Virtual Golf League
READ HERE: US Vice-Captain Reveals Shane Lowry's Furious Reaction To Rory McIlroy Caddie Incident
Shane Lowry leaves cheeky comment on Justin Thomas Instagram post
Justin Thomas grew into the Ryder Cup as the weekend progressed but, ultimately, he and his US teammates will be bitterly disappointed with their performance in Rome.
Thomas chose to take some time off in Italy in the aftermath of the tournament, travelling to Florence and Lake Como with his wife Jillian, and shared some picturesque snaps to his Instagram account of their travels.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
On the second of those posts, Shane Lowry would leave a brilliant comment, enquiring as to whether Thomas had any photos to share from his time in the Italian capital at the Ryder Cup.
We're sure the comment from Lowry will go down well with American golf fans.
To Thomas' credit, he did in fact post a collection of photos from the tournament, with the caption:
There's nothing like the Ryder Cup. So much passion and emotion poured out between teams in 3 days. You win as a team, and lose as a team. Wish we would've played better, but I'd do it all over again with these guys every single time. Congrats to Europe on the victory, they played incredible...a little too well in my personal opinion
Thanks to the European fans for a great atmosphere as always. Hate we have to wait 2 more years for another Ryder Cup!!!
SEE ALSO: Exciting Progress Made In Bid To Bring The Open Championship To Dublin
