Shane Lowry says comments about Rory McIlroy makes his ‘blood boil’

'It’s the one thing that really drives me insane.'

McIlroy came close to ending his long wait to win a fifth major title only to bogey three of the final four holes, losing out to Bryson DeChambeau by a single stroke.

Lowry defends McIlroy

The Holywood native came in for lots of criticism and ahead of The Open Championship, which gets underway this week, Lowry took the chance to heavily defend the 35-year-old.

He said: "It’s the one thing that really drives me insane.

I watched Rory and watched him miss those two putts and not win, and then you have people criticising him and Harry [Diamond, McIlroy's caddie], which is, I mean, it really makes my blood boil.

"Harry Diamond is the best person in the world to caddie for Rory McIlroy, and I see it week in and week out. He works harder than any of the caddies out here.

"He’s always here before him, walking the courses; he’s there for him, and even though he’s not in the middle of the tee box like all these caddies who want to be on TV talking loud and telling Rory what to do, he still makes his voice heard.

"Until you live that moment and that situation, you never know how it is."

Lowry recalls 2016 difficulties

Lowry is no stranger to the difficulties McIlroy has faced. Back in the 2016 edition of The Open, the Offaly man let his own final-round lead slip at Oakmont but claimed that McIlroy is much more resilient than he was eight years ago.

"Shane Lowry in 2016 and Rory McIlroy in 2024 are two completely different people, so I think Rory will be able to handle it a lot better than I did," he stated.

"I really struggled for the next few months after the US Open, and I was open about that, but I’m sure Rory will be fine."

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