Shane Lowry broke rules to give Rory McIlroy very special gift after the Masters

Shane Lowry risked the wrath of the Augusta National officials following Masters victory last month. McIlroy needed a playoff to defeat Justin Rose, secure a first-ever green jacket and confirm himself as a career grand slam winner.

The miss on 18 in regulation play and the subsequent putt on the same green in the playoff has already become one of the sport's most memorable moments. But something the eyes of the world weren't privy to was McIlroy's post-Masters celebrations.

However, he's since given a taste of what they looked like, revealing to NBC Sports that his good friend and fellow Irishman, Lowry, according to McIlroy, burst into the Augusta National bar in search of booze following his pal's victory in the Masters.

Explaining Lowry's unlikely mission, McIlroy said: "Funny story, when I won Shane Lowry went straight to the sommelier at Augusta National and said 'I've got to get a couple of cases of wine of you', they were like 'Mr Lowry we don't allow people to take wine out of the club' so he was like 'No seriously one off exception please'. So they let him buy one case of 1990 Château Lafite Rothschild. He bought it and brought it to my rental house that night."

Given it had been close to 11 years since McIlroy last won a major championship, the celebrations are entirely understandable. Fast forward a month, though, and McIlroy is back in major action, this time at a personal favourite of his, Quail Hollow, for the PGA Championship.

The Masters win has opened up a pressure valve that had been building up for McIlroy, : "I think everybody saw how hard having a North Star [goal] is and getting over the line. If I can try and get the best out of myself each and every week, I know what my abilities are. I know the golf I can play, if I keep turning up and trying to do that every week, especially in these four big ones a year, I know that I'll have my chances.

"I've always said I'm never going to put a number on it. I've talked about trying to become the best European ever, but again the numbers tell one story but it might not be a full story."

The action from Quail Hollow in North Carolina continues throughout the week, with the winner set to be crowned on Sunday evening.