Europe's Ryder Cup celebrations continued late into the night after their emphatic victory in Rome, with Shane Lowry reportedly dancing on a table at a party costing €230,000. The Irishman was among the last men standing, surrounded by the trophy and empty bottles of champagne and Peroni at 3am local time.
The team had earlier left Marco Simone Golf Club on a bus, with Rory McIlroy leading a rendition of “Europe’s on fire, USA is terrified!” Robert MacIntyre performed the Proclaimers’ ‘I Wanna Be (500 Miles)’, waving his European cap in reference to ‘Hatgate’ after Patrick Cantlay’s rumoured dissatisfaction over player payment.
Viktor Hovland’s legend grew as he gave a mid-celebration interview to a US broadcaster, fending off a teammate trying to drench him in champagne. Tyrrell Hatton was seen in Team Europe pyjamas and bright sunglasses at 3am. Vice-captain Francesco Molinari performed a penguin-like dance, paying tribute to his ‘Moliwood’ partner Tommy Fleetwood, who clinched the cup for Europe.
Luke Donald kept it simple, singing Queen’s ‘We Are the Champions’ to his players. Attention now turns to Bethpage Black in 2025, where Europe will attempt to achieve what McIlroy called “one of the biggest accomplishments in golf right now.” Donald remained coy on his future as captain, saying he hadn't been asked yet.
