
Shane Lowry assessed two-stroke penalty at 2025 British Open
Lowry was preparing to play his second shot from the rough on the par-5 12th hole. His score on the hole was changed from a par to a double bogey. The Irishman, who won the 2019 Open at Royal Portrush, signed instead for a 1-over 72, which left him with a 36-hole total of even-par 142.
Lowry said he was informed of a possible rules infraction while walking up the 15th fairway when a rules official alerted him of the possibility. The R&A spent more than 20 minutes reviewing the violation with Lowry and his fellow competitors, 36-hole leader Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa, after the round was completed.
'I wasn't arguing my case but I was disappointed that they don't have more camera angles on it,' Lowry said. 'I have to take the penalty because I can't have my name talked about or tossed around like that. I'll get on with it but it's really, really disappointing.'
Lowry said he felt the decision had already been made. 'I think they had it in their heads the ball moved, I caused it to move, it's a two-shot penalty,' he said. 'They only had one camera angle, which was zoomed in at the ball. They had none of me actually full length, which we were looking for and needed.'
Video emerged on whether Lowry had committed violation
Video footage emerged on social media of the incident and there was great debate over whether he had committed a violation.
More: Shane Lowry returns to Royal Portrush where a large mural honors his 2019 British Open win
'If the ball moved, I would have called it on myself. My head was definitely looking down at the ball and I didn't see it moving,' Lowry said. 'The last thing I want to do is sit there and argue and not take the penalty and then get slaughtered all over social media tonight for being a cheat.'
Scottie Scheffler asked about Lowry incident
Scheffler was asked for his opinion on the ruling during his post-round press conference.
"Ultimately, in golf, it's up to the player, and I felt like Shane was put in a pretty tough situation there when they were zooming in on his golf ball," Scheffler said. "In the rough it's hard to tell. From what I looked at very briefly on the video, it looked like it was very difficult to see if the ball was moving – sorry, if the ball moved. The camera was kind of zooming in as stuff was happening.
More: British Open live cut line tracker: Who's in danger of missing the weekend at Portrush?
"One of the great things about the game of golf is that you call your penalties on yourself. This situation, I think it was just – it was a very tough spot for Shane to be put in. He handled it really well. It's obviously very frustrating. It's frustrating for me as a competitor of his and a player to watch him after kind of deal with that because the last thing you want to be known in the game of golf is somebody who cheats.
"I'm not going to state a strong opinion here in the media on whether or not I thought he deserved the penalty, but all I'm going to say is it was a very tough situation."
A tough pill for Lowry to swallow, indeed, but he took his medicine.
'That's hard to take,' he said. 'Look, I'll just have to dust myself off and get out there tomorrow and give it a go.'

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
41 minutes ago
- USA Today
ESPN names their biggest question marks, 'what-ifs' for Alabama football in 2025
ESPN college football analyst Bill Connelly thinks the Alabama Crimson Tide have as good a chance as almost anyone to win the national championship in 2025. Connelly, a leading figure behind ESPN's popular analytics-driven SP+ rankings, recently listed potential title contenders for 2025 with his annual 'what-ifs' for each team. Alabama tied with Penn State for the fewest question marks entering the season with only two. Alabama's 'what-ifs': the quarterback position, led for the moment by junior Ty Simpson, and the defense's ability to get after the quarterback. To the former, coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb named Simpson the frontrunner as spring practice wrapped up in April following Alabama's annual A-Day event. The concern for Simpson is obvious, mainly his lack of experience. In parts of three seasons, he's 29-of-50 for 381 yards through the air while rushing for 130 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games. Most of that was in mop-up duty with the exception of Alabama's ugly 17-3 win at South Florida in September 2023. Simpson's next college start will be his first, but Connelly contends that Simpson may not necessarily need to be elite in order to succeed. Think of Jake Coker, who led Alabama to the national championship in 2015. Connelly said: "Honestly, after Jalen Milroe's negative-play troubles in 2024 (11 interceptions, 9 fumbles, 23 sacks), there's a path for Simpson to succeed by simply making sure the team in crimson controls the ball. He'll have strong weapons to whom he can distribute the ball -- Ryan Williams, slot man Germie Bernard, Miami transfer Isaiah Horton, young former star recruits such as Jaylen Mbakwe, Jalen Hale and Cole Adams -- and lord knows he has waited for this opportunity. If he can't deliver early, sophomore Austin Mack or freshman Keelon Russell (the No. 2 player in the 2025 class) could step in. One way or another, solid quarterbacking could take Bama far." The concern for Alabama's pass rush stems from the defense registering just 25 sacks all of last year. Nearly one-third of those came in two games: the Crimson Tide's Week 2 win over South Florida and their 27-25 victory over South Carolina on Oct. 12. Alabama racked up four sacks in each of those games. Moreover, the Tide's sack leaders from a year ago, linebackers Jihaad Campbell and Que Robinson, both departed for the NFL. Per Connelly: "(T)he pass rush really was a liability at times, and the only two players with more than 2.5 sacks last season are gone. Outside linebackers Jah-Marien Latham and Qua Russaw look the part but had just one sack each. One way or another, the pressure needs to improve." Apart from Russaw, two players that pressure should come from are inside threats like Tim Keenan III (40 tackles, 2.5 sacks in 2025) and LT Overton (42 tackles, 2.0 sacks). DeBoer was asked at SEC media days earlier this month who stood out as pass rushers heading into the season. "I think guys like LT Overton jump out with me," he said. "LT was there a lot last year. Those are the next steps you want to take. Not just he, but a lot of guys finishing the plays. LT has it in him, the seal set. He has those instincts. Continues to hone in on taking it to the next level. "Qua Russaw is another guy," DeBoer continued. "Some underclassmen are coming up that are doing a nice job, too. Looking forward to the progress they've made physically to be able to put themselves in a chance to let their work happen on the football field on Saturdays." Alabama football schedule 2025 Alabama will open the season against Florida State at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee on Aug. 30. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on ABC. Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama Crimson Tide news, notes and opinions.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
🎥 Dominik Szoboszlai scores wondergoal for Liverpool in friendly
There is simply no stopping that! Liverpool continue their pre-season schedule this week with a friendly against AC Milan in Hong Kong. Despite the Serie A side taking the lead after 10 minute through Rafael Leão, it was Dominik Szoboszlai who put the Reds back on level terms in the first half. Teenager Rio Ngumoha picked out the Hungarian on the edge of the box and Szoboszlai curled an outrageous effort into the top corner. Can Liverpool find another goal? 📸 OLI SCARFF - AFP or licensors
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Last Dance – Five Veteran Inter Milan Stars Set For Final Season Before A ‘Revolution' Next Summer
This season will be the 'last dance' for five veteran players in the last years of their contracts with Inter Milan. Today's print edition of Rome-based newspaper Corriere dello Sport, via FCInterNews, identify Yann Sommer, Francesco Acerbi, Stefan de Vrij, Matteo Darmian, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan as players set to depart next summer. Last season, Inter had the oldest squad in Serie A in terms of average age. Moreover, the Nerazzurri regularly started matches with a starting eleven whose average age was north of thirty. Clearly, therefore, it is not overly surprising that the single biggest priority in the summer transfer window for Inter has been to bring that average age down. That does not, however, mean that there has been a major exodus of any of the aging players. On the contrary, the veterans have all stuck around. But according to the Corriere dello Sport, that won't be for long. 'Last Dance' For Five Veteran Players At Inter Milan SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JUNE 25: Francesco Acerbi #15 of FC Internazionale Milano walks on the field prior to the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group E match between FC Internazionale Milano and CA River Plate at Lumen Field on June 25, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by) In goal, Yann Sommer has one more year left to go on his contract at Inter. And the Swiss veteran will see out his deal, despite having been linked with Galatasaray this summer. However, there is little indication that Inter will offer an extension to Sommer. The former Bayern Munich and Borussia Monchengladbach keeper will turn 37 this coming season. And Josep Martinez is waiting in the wings to replace him. Similarly, all of Stefan de Vrij, Matteo Darmian, and Francesco Acerbi are still pillars of Inter's defense. De Vrij, in particular, has been with Inter since 2018. But all three are out of contract with Inter at the end of next June. And the same is true of midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The Armenian has been a reliable servant to the Nerazzurri, but turns 37 in January. Next summer, when all of these players' contracts expire, the Corriere anticipate that there will be nothing short of a 'revolution' in Inter's squad.