Lovely Laois woman celebrates Ryder Cup in style with Offaly husband Shane Lowry

Laois woman Wendy Lowry (neé Honner) was at the centre of the Ryder Cup controversy and celebrations in New York where her Offaly husband Shane Lowry was the hero of the day sinking the putt to retain the trophy for Europe.

The Pike of Rushall native was among the first to celebrate on Sunday at the Betpage Black Golf Course on the 18th green after her husband Shane ensured that the famous trophy would travel across the Atlantic with the European team.

She also joined in the long celebrations sparked by Shane's victory dig after he halved his match with Russell Henley.

But the road to celebrations was rocky for the Laois woman and her husband due to the raucous nature of the support from the US fans. This was at its worst on Saturday when Shane played alongside his friend Rory McIlroy. They endured abuse for 18 holes, with this also affecting Wendy and McIlroy's wife Erica when drink was thrown in their direction on the course.

But with the support of their wives and the European fans, Lowry and McIlroy would win their match on Saturday to set up victory on Sunday.

But it's not the first time the Laois woman has been a rock of support for the Clara man - something he acknowledged after winning a big tournament in 2019. MORE BELOW PHOTOS.

The partners of, from left, Rory McIlroy, Erica Stoll McIlroy, Luke Donald, Diane Antonopoulos, and Shane Lowry, Wendy Lowry, watch on during the afternoon fourballs on day two of the 2025 Ryder Cup at Black Course at Bethpage State Park Golf Course in Farmingdale, New York, USA. Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Sportsfile

Shane credited to victory, to the presence of his wife and child at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in 2019. It was a turning point win for the Offaly man after an inconsistent period in his professional career. He would go on to win The Open Championship in Royal Portrush that year.

Wendy, a nurse, and Shane met during a night out in Dublin in 2012 and they were engaged in April 2016. They have two daughters, Iris born in 2017, and Ivy, arriving 2021.

A film in 2022 about Shane's roots in Offaly, his mum Bridget, said she knows the secret of his success. 

"Wendy is just a great girl. She is the makings of Shane, I actually think. They are a good team - a great team," she said. 

Wendy said in the film that she believes being a dad has changed her husband. MORE BELOW PHOTO.

"Since he has had children. It has changed a lot how he responds to a bad day on the golf course. The girls don't care what he suits. When he comes home no one is asking him any questions. They just want dad home.

"He is very hands-on. I suppose a lot of people are surprised by that. I don't know why, and I don't know if that is because he is a sportsman or whatever but he loves being a dad," he said.

As for Shane he agreed that he doesn't take the bad days as badly as he used to and now he says he golfs for his wife and children.

"Golf is a very selfish sport but I feel that now that I have kids I do everything from my family," he said.

Wendy has not lost touch with her big Laois family or her roots. The couple have supported fundraising events in the community, such as the annual fundraiser for Clonenagh National School in Mountrath, where Wendy attended school.