There are few closer friendships in the world of professional golf at the moment than the one between Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry.
The pair have grown incredibly close over recent years both on and off the course. Not only have they been teammates at the Ryder Cup and Olympics, but they also live close to each other in Florida and their families spend quite a bit of time together.
It is great to see the two biggest names in Irish golf develop such a relationship, even if there have been some rocky periods between the two in the past.
Both men are in Dubai this week ahead of the DP World Tour Championship event, a title Rory McIlroy has already secured due to his unassailable lead at the top of the season rankings.
However, the Holywood native was not content with just winning that crown this week.
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Shane Lowry & Rory McIlroy bet on warmup round in Dubai
Ahead of the start of the tournament on Thursday, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry played a warmup round on the Earth course at the Jumeirah Golf Estate on Monday.
Golf Digest are reporting that the two decided to have a nine-hole warmup match, with the stakes set at $100 for the winner. As well as that, they would get $20 for each birdie they made during the round.
McIlroy cleaned up.
He would birdie five of the first eight holes, meaning that along with the $100 he took for winning the match, he doubled his total to $200. Golf Digest suggests that there was some good natured and often harsh ribbing going on between the pair throughout, although they opted against printing the specifics.
While $200 is small change to these two lads, you get the sense that defeating their mate on the golf course will always give them a thrill regardless of the finances on offer.
Shane Lowry will certainly want to get one over on Rory McIlroy when the next time the pair face off on the course.
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