Shane Lowry backs Rory McIlroy amid backlash for his US Open 'choke' job – “In reality, it’s the worst game of all”

Rory McIlroy nearly lost out on the US Open on Sunday. The 35-year-old golfer fell a stroke shot as LIV Golf rival Bryson DeChambeau lifted the prestigious trophy. Following this, the Northern Irishman faced backlash online from fans dubbing his loss a ‘choke’ job.

Shane Lowry has now come out to defend his European teammate. The 37-year-old Irish golfer addressed fans’ hate comments against the PGA Tour star and called on them to “be kind” to his friend. Defending the Northern Irishman, Lowry noted that golf is “the worst game of all” despite looking “easy” from the outside.

Lowry, who won the Zurich Classic in New Orleans alongside McIlroy in April, said what his teammate “has gone through is as tough as it gets” in the game.

Shane Lowry wrote on his X handle:

“From the outside looking in… this game is easy. But in reality, it’s the worst game of all. We are very fortunate to get what we do from this game but over the last 24 hours it’s hit me. We do it for not only ourselves but for our family, friends and fans. What Rory has gone through is as tough as it gets in our game but I would like to encourage people if anything please be kind.”

It is pertinent to note that Rory McIlroy had a two-shot lead at one point in the US Open’s final round. The ace golfer was close to ending his decade-long major drought. However, he missed two short putts in a three-bogey run to hand the lead to DeChambeau. The LIV golfer made a memorable shot at 18 to win the major.

Following this, McIlroy made an early exit from Pinehurst. The Ryder Cup star denied post-round interviews and headed straight to his Florida home. While many fans were disappointed by this, several others sounded off on him for letting a LIV player win the major championship.

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Rory McIlroy breaks silence after the US Open loss

Shane Lowry’s heartfelt message came just hours after Rory McIlroy released a statement on the US Open 2024 finish. The 35-year-old, who stayed away from media after the event, congratulated DeChambeau for the win.

The four-time major champion revealed his decision to not compete in some of the upcoming PGA Tour events, including the Travelers Championship. He added that he’ll return to the circuit for the Scottish Open in July, a week ahead of The Open at Royal Troon.

Rory McIlroy said in a statement posted to social media:

“Yesterday was a tough day, probably the toughest I've had in my nearly 17 years as a professional golfer. Firstly, I'd like to congratulate Bryson. He is a worthy champion and exactly what professional golf needs right now… As I reflect on my week, I'll rue a few things over the course of the tournament, mostly, the 2 missed putts on 16 and 18 on the final day…

As I said at the start of the tournament, I feel closer to winning my next major championship than I ever have. The one word that I would describe my career as is resilient… I'm going to take a few weeks away from the game to process everything and build myself back up for my defense of the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open at Royal Troon. See you in Scotland.”

Rory McIlroy bagged a $2,300,000 paycheck for finishing second on the US Open leaderboard. The ace golfer also jumped a spot on the Official World Golf Rankings to take the second-place back from Xander Schauffele after the major.