Rory McIlroy shows true colours as Shane Lowry make restaurant incident admission

Shane Lowry, the Open Championship contender, knows well the magnetic ' Rory McIlroy effect', having experienced it firsthand when the duo received a standing ovation after a "drunken lunch" in New Orleans . The Irish golfing stars decided to team up for this year's Zurich Classic over some drinks and subsequently clinched the title in Louisiana on their debut as a pair.

Despite his own clout on the PGA and European Tours, Lowry acknowledged that the cheers they got upon exiting the French eatery were likely for McIlroy, especially after one particularly lavish purchase. Recalling the incident on the Fore Play podcast at the Open,

Lowry said, "It was fancy-ish, but not really. It was just off Bourbon Street," adding with a laugh, "We got a standing ovation leaving the restaurant; well, I was with Rory."

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When pressed about who the applause was really for, he conceded, "It was for Rory. He did order a very expensive bottle of wine. So yeah, that was probably it!"

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

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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, reports the Mirror .

"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.