Shane Lowry shows true colors with honest admission on Rory McIlroy restaurant incident

Shane Lowry, the Open Championship contender, knows all too well about the ' Rory McIlroy effect' after they both got a standing ovation leaving a New Orleans eatery after a "drunken lunch" .

The Irish golfing stars decided to team up for this year's Zurich Classic over some drinks and ended up winning the Louisiana title on their debut as a duo.

Lowry, who's made his mark on both the PGA and European Tours, is no stranger to fame, yet he reckons the cheers they received were mainly for McIlroy, especially after one particularly lavish buy .

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"It was fancy-ish, but not really. It was just off Bourbon Street," said 37-year-old Lowry on the Fore Play podcast, recalling their best meal in New Orleans. "We got a standing ovation leaving the restaurant; well, I was with Rory."

When asked who the applause was really for, he confessed: "It was for Rory. He did order a very expensive bottle of wine [laughs]. So yeah, that was probably it!".

McIlroy, aged 35, had let slip earlier that it was his idea to ask Lowry to join forces after Lowry's regular partner, Padraig Harrington, joined the Champions Tour. Their partnership has proven golden with their triumph at the Zurich Classic.

Fast forward to today, and McIlroy is cheering from the sidelines as his countryman looks to clinch his second Open Championship title at Royal Troon. A hugely disappointing 77 in Saturday's third round saw Lowry plummet from the top of the leaderboard down to ninth, but he still has a chance sat just three strokes off the lead heading into Sunday's action.

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"I can't wait to watch this weekend. He relishes these conditions," said McIlroy of his close friend ahead of the championship rounds. "He gets more up for this than anything else. I'm looking forward to cheering him on and him hopefully getting his second Jug."

Lowry previously won The Open when it was held at Portrush in 2019, beating the field by six strokes in a dominant display. The first 36 holes in Scotland showed the potential for a similar romp this weekend, but Saturday's slump has thrown his silverware prospects into doubt.

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