‘Acting Like LIV’: Golf World Sneers at Rory McIlroy & Shane Lowry’s ‘Lame’ Celebratory Moment After $1.28M Payout
After a windy Sunday foursomes session, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans at TPC Louisiana. The two men of Irish descent won in the playoff hole against Chad Ramey and Martin Trainer and bagged the $1.28 million individual prize money. This marked Lowry’s first win after the 2019 British Open.
McIlroy clinched his first win of the season, also marking his 25th PGA Tour victory, joining an elite group of players as the 23rd to achieve this milestone in their PGA Tour careers. It was only the second top-10 finish for the 34-year-old after a solo three at the Valero Texas Open; indeed, the victory at TPC Louisiana surely meant a lot for both players. So, they decided to celebrate it with much fervor.
After winning, McIlroy and Lowry took to the stage at the 19th green at TPC Louisiana. Both had beer in their hands and then, McIlroy took the mic in another as the crowd cheered. The band asked the 4-time major champ if he knew any 80s songs. And McIlroy pulled out his best rendition of ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ by Journey. Lowry joined McIlroy on stage but chose to support and enjoy the Ulsterman performance. As McIlroy sang his heart out, the crowd took out their phones to capture the moment. @NUCLRGOLF shared the video of the celebration on X.
☘️ Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry sing Journey’s “Don’t stop believing” after their win at the @Zurich_Classic @TrackingRory @LowryTracker
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) April 28, 2024
From a drunken lunch decision to a drunken celebration, the Zurich Classic was a fun week for both pros. However, as soon as the snippets of the concert celebration surfaced online, the internet was in splits. Many liked it, but many considered it to resemble LIV Golf a little too much.
Internet believes Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry copied LIV Golf
The two leagues in the golf world that can’t see eye to eye are the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. The reason for the rift? Modernity vs. tradition. Whether it be the unique format, the booze, or the music, LIV Golf has always taken a new approach to golf, whereas the PGA Tour has always focused on upholding the legacy and essence of the sport. However, McIlroy’s and Lowry’s Zurich Classic victory performance was more in line with the ways of the rebel circuit.
Rory McIlroy was one of the first to outrightly dismiss the disruptive league and had even said, “There’s no room in the golf world for LIV Golf.” One user mockingly stated that even though the 34-year-old did not like the Saudi-backed league, his actions tell a different story and commented, ” “We hate LIV!” So…….let’s be just like em.” Another had something similar to say about the two PGA Tour pros and commented, “Oh god they’re acting like LIV players.”
If the celebration of Zurich Classic and LIV Golf Adelaide is to be compared, then in reality they are far apart. In Adelaide, there were shoey moments by Greg Norman, a lot of champagne and players didn’t sing anything, but in New Orleans, McIlroy was singing and there wasn’t any champagne either. One fan thought that the PGA Tour copied LIV and that it wasn’t original. They said, “Ohh boy. Taking a page from Liv. Go figure. Can’t come up with their ideas they have to copy a celebration.”
As seen from the video, it was not just the 4-time major winner and Lowry enjoying the moment, even the crowd had their phones out to capture it. From the looks of it, it doesn’t sound embarrassing, and kudos to the Northern Irishman; he sang unexpectedly well. However, for one golf enthusiast, the singing or celebration was not inviting. They thought that the PGA Tour was trying to imitate LIV Golf and said, “Cringe PGA trying to be LIV.”
The shade was thrown not only at the Zurich Classic celebration but also at LIV Golf, which was also dragged through the mud. While calling the concert celebration bad and something they don’t condone, a viewer criticized both leagues with one shot and said, “Just as lame as the LIV celebration.”
