Rory McIlroy shows true character with five-word comment to Shane Lowry

Golf superstar may have made the history books after completing the career Grand Slam - but he wouldn't show it. In fact, the Northern Irishman was the picture of modesty as he rocked up in Louisiana to resume his commitments this week.

McIlroy, 35 will be teeing off on Thursday alongside fellow winner Shane Lowry to defend their Zurich Classic of New Orleans title. And he appeared utterly at ease during his pre-tournament press conference. pundits have been pondering whether McIlroy will now feel "freed" from more than a decade's worth of emotional baggage after halting his major win drought and finally winning the title earlier in April. And above all else, his humility was on full display as he was more than happy to laugh at his past struggles, putting his partner at ease with a five-word self-own in New Orleans.

He alluded coyly to his US Open misfortune last year, where a botched finish allowed Bryson DeChambeau to steal in and snatch the crown. The letdown at Pinehurst was heart-wrenching for McIlroy, who hadn't savoured major success since the PGA Championship in 2014.

However, the disappointments were laid to rest with his clinching putt on Augusta National's 18th green. And McIlroy even made light of that himself while speaking to reporters (via ) at TPC Louisiana on Wednesday.

"We can both look back to last year here and think about the times like Shane used a new putter here last year for the first time," said McIlroy. "He holed that putt in regulation, which got us into [the playoff]."

Lowry chuckled and spread his arms to indicate that the putt was short, suggesting McIlroy was overpraising him. But McIlroy shot back with a five-word reference to his fumble on the Masters' 17th hole, replying: "Hey, I've certainly missed shorter."

On the brink of his Masters triumph, McIlroy declared his newfound resilience in the face of past major setbacks. And he delved into the mental approach he intends to maintain throughout his career.

"The one thing I feel like would help me to get over the line at Augusta was really trying to focus on - we both work with [sports psychologist Dr] Bob Rotella. But basically, the one thing I try to do after the end of every round is look myself in the mirror and say, 'That's how I want to feel when I play golf.'

"If that's my goal for the rest of my career, and I can go after every round and I can look in the mirror and I can say that to myself, then the results will take care of themselves."

Another quip from Lowry hinted Rory isn't entirely satisfied with his accomplishments, despite being one of only six men to achieve the career Grand Slam. When asked about his goals for 2025, Lowry joked: "Who cares anymore?"

McIlroy promptly responded by telling his playing partner he cares, then said defending Europe's Ryder Cup title in September is high on his agenda: "I think one shared goal that we both have is winning at Bethpage. That would be an unbelievable way to cap off the year."