Rory McIlroy says he had some ‘heart-to-heart’ conversations with Shane Lowry during some of the more challenging moments of the Offaly’s man’s season.
Lowry stormed to victory in Doonbeg to claim the Amgen Irish Open at the weekend, destroying the field en route to a swashbuckling 11-stroke victory.
After a season of some crushing lows – Lowry stumbled from favourable positions going into the final round of events, notably this season at the Cognizant Classic and Dubai Invitational – he powered away from the field on a day where McIlroy finished 22 shots adrift of his friend.
Speaking to the media ahead of this week’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, the Down man paid tribute to Lowry’s resilience.
“He’s had some hard times this year, and we’ve had some chats and heart-to-hearts about it,” he said.
“All I can try to be is a good friend and provide encouragement and maybe provide examples of what I’ve tried to do in those circumstances.
“I think it was only a matter of time. It was amazing to see. Like I said to Shane afterwards on Sunday, form is temporary and class is permanent.
“He is that calibre of a player we all know he is. It was just a matter of him getting back to that point and winning a tournament.
“I think him finishing it off in emphatic style the way he did, I think it will do a lot for him.”
McIlroy meanwhile, who has based himself in Florida for the majority of his lucrative career, last year moved into a new home on the Wentworth estate.
Having initially made his name on what was then the European Tour, the Irishman has hopes he can one day return.
“I’d love to envision a day like that, but to keep hold of your PGA Tour membership you need to play a certain number of events,” he added.
“Obviously the fields are deep and you have to make sure you stay within that top 70 or 90 or whatever it is.
“One day maybe, that would be really nice and finish my career where I started my career. That would be something that I would love to do.
“But right now, while I’m in the sort of thick of things and what I feel is like still the prime, I’m just going to have to try to split my time as best as I can between the two.”