Rory McIlroy makes feelings known about Shane Lowry's 'big improvement' since moving to the US full-time

Rory McIlroy has praised fellow Northern Irishman Shane Lowry after the latter's performance at the 2025 Truist Championship. The sixth signature event of the PGA tournament concluded on Sunday, May 11, at the Philadelphia Cricket Club (Wissahickon Course) in Flourtown, Philadelphia.

Lowry tied for second at the Truist Championship after finishing with a score of 14-under. He had a strong start at the tournament with a bogey-free 6-under 66 and followed it with a 5-under 66 in the second round. He finished with rounds of 67 and 70. McIlroy tied for seventh with 10-under at the tournament.

McIlroy praised Shane Lowry's transformation over the past year after moving to the United States full-time. He said in the post-tournament press conference (via ASAP Sports):

"I've seen a big difference in Shane since he started living here full-time. We practice and play together so much at home. Just the back and forth from Ireland is tough. Even this time of the year, it's still hard to practice over there."

The 38-year-old, who turned professional in 2009, moved to the United States in 2018 with his wife, Wendy, and their daughter, Iris, to focus more on the PGA Tour. McIlroy further said:

"I just feel like I've seen such a big improvement in his consistency week to week because of where he lives, being able to practice in great conditions on great golf courses, get in games with the likes of myself or Rickie or JT or whoever lives down in Jupiter," he added.

McIlroy said it has been "amazing" as a friend to watch Shane Lowry play so well, adding that he planned to stick around to "see him get the job done."

The 2019 Open Championship winner has competed in 196 tournaments on the PGA Tour and made the cut in 146 of them. He has three wins, five runner-up, 15 top-five, and 33 top-10 finishes.

A look at Shane Lowry's performance in 2025

Shane Lowry has had a great start to the 2025 season. He has competed in 11 tournaments, making the cut in 10. He has had two runner-up, four top-10, and eight top-25 finishes. He's currently positioned eighth in the FedEx Cup standings.

His best performances this season include a second-place finish at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and a T2 finish at the Truist Championship. His other notable finishes include a seventh-place finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and an T8 finish at the Valspar Championship.

Let's take a look at Shane Lowry's performances in the 2025 season on the PGA Tour:

Farmers Insurance Open: Missed Cut (72-75, 147, +3)
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am: 2 (66-70-65-68, 269, -19)
The Genesis Invitational: T39 (73-73-74-70, 290, +2)
Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches: T11 (66-68-70-67, 271, -13)
Arnold Palmer Invitational: 7 (69-67-76-70, 282, -6)
THE PLAYERS Championship: T20 (72-71-74-67, 284, -4)
Valspar Championship: T8 (71-67-70-70, 278, -6)
Masters Tournament: T42 (71-68-72-81, 292, +4)
RBC Heritage: T18 (68-70-67-70, 275, -9)
Zurich Classic of New Orleans: T12 (64-69-61-72, 266, -22)
Truist Championship: T2 (64-65-67-70, 266, -14)

About the author

Rohit is a Golf writer at Sportskeeda who specializes in PGA Tour coverage. With a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from Delhi University and a Master's degree in Global Studies from Ambedkar University, he has always been passionate about writing on varied topics.

Rohit has over 4 years of prior work experience under his belt. He prioritizes thorough fact-checking of every article he pens with the aim of providing readers with the most accurate and insightful content.

Rohit's favorite celebrity sportsperson is Novak Djokovic; he admires his determination in the face of challenges and fighting spirit. Rohit is an avid reader and when he's not busy reading and writing about the latest developments in the vast world of pop culture and sports, he can be seen absorbed by a book. He also loves playing chess.

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Edited by Samya Majumdar