"That’s $100 worth of birdies” - Rory McIlroy dominates friendly match against Shane Lowry at DP World Tour Championship

Rory McIlroy was ready for a DP World Tour Championship that ultimately did not serve as the anticipated climax to the lengthy Race to Dubai. He hadn't picked up a club in more than a week, and with three more days before anything meaningful was slated to occur, the golfer had nothing to do. The newly crowned European number one decided to face off against Shane Lowry.

The two friends happily agreed to the match and bantered back and forth about what it should be worth. Even friends must have stakes in their "friendly" matches. They decided to pay out $100 to the winner, with birdies going for $20 each.

McIlroy quickly emerged as the leader in this contest. At the par-3 fourth hole, the other Irishman was down by three and already owed McIlroy $60. After another birdie on the par-5 seventh hole, the match was clinched at 3-2 for McIlroy.

With no other options, Lowry issued a double or quit. They did tie, but not before McIlroy landed another birdie in an impressive showing. He happily said via Golf Digest:

“That’s $100 worth of birdies."

It was an excellent match but Golf Digest did not reveal any of the banter during it for privacy issues, but one can imagine what the two fiercely competitive golfers were saying, especially as Rory McIlroy separated from Lowry.

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Rory McIlroy takes shot at fellow PGA Tour star

It's no secret that the Irishman and Patrick Cantlay have a tenuous relationship. He recently said that their relationship was "average at best" according to the New York Post. Rory McIlroy said:

“Here’s what angered me. My relationship with Cantlay is average at best. We don’t have a ton in common and see the world quite differently.”

The two PGA Tour stars found themselves at odds during the Ryder Cup, with Cantlay playing for the American side and McIlroy on Team Europe. During the now infamous dustup between caddie Joe Lacava and McIlroy, Cantlay was in the center of it.

Rory McIlroy at the Ryder Cup

McIlroy continued:

“And they’re trying to defuse the situation, but I start having a go at them. Joe LaCava used to be a nice guy when he was caddying for Tiger, and now he’s caddying for that d**k he’s turned into a … I still wasn’t in a great headspace.”

McIlroy admitted some fault in the situation, but he felt that the caddie's behavior was much better when he was working with Tiger Woods. Now that he's not, he believes Cantlay's behavior has rubbed off on him. The golfer and his caddie's celebration while McIlroy was trying to tie the match caused some anger in the Irishman, and it didn't end very well.

He admitted that it wasn't his finest moment, but he still isn't a fan of Cantlay. The two will continue battling it out on the Tour, as McIlroy is currently ranked second and Cantlay is not far behind at number five.