Shane Lowry wasted no time congratulating Rory McIlroy after his Masters win, exchanging a hug right away. The media had bombarded Lowry with questions about McIlroy just the day before.

The two longtime friends embraced after McIlroy sunk a putt to win the sudden-death playoff against Justin Rose.

McIlroy was crying fresh tears of joy while Lowry was all smiles and lifted up his soon-to-be green-jacketed friend in triumph.

On Saturday, Lowry shot a solid 16 holes before recording bogeys on 17 and 18.

Rather than questions about his play, though, he was met with questions surrounding McIlroy and his potential path to winning the tournament.

Lowry expressed frustration after the third round, refusing to discuss McIlroy extensively. He stressed his focus on his own tournament prospects, expressing determination to win the Masters and heading off to practice instead.

Lowry also dug in on the overall format of media speaking with players after events.

Feeling the need for space to collect himself, Lowry emphasized the importance of time for reflection before facing the media. He believed that talking to the press immediately after a tough round was not beneficial and disagreed with the practice.

While he was fed up on Saturday, Lowry’s excitement after McIlroy’s victory proved that the incident stemmed from nothing personal toward his friend.

Lowry finished the tournament tied for 42nd. 

As for his good friend, McIlroy’s up-and-down Masters finished in glory with a career Grand Slam.

With a chance to win it all McIlroy missed his putt, but the Northern Irishman redeemed himself in the playoff against Rose, shooting three to his opponent’s four.