Shane Lowry Endures Two-Stroke Penalty at Open, But Not For Reason You Think
Shane Lowry received a two-stroke penalty during the second round of the Open Championship. Officials noted that his ball moved during his second shot on the 12th hole, and the consequences could be decisive for his fate in the event.
However, Lowry didn't accept the penalty just because of the ball's movement, as the rules officials ruled. His reasons were more related to his character and the meaning of being in this type of situation as a golfer.
"I had to take the penalty because -- I'm still not sure, to be honest, whether it was or not, but I had to take the penalty because I can't have my name talked about or tossed around like that, and I just get on with it," Lowry said via a transcript of his post-round press conference.
Video of the moment is available in numerous social media posts, and it's easy to see how complex the situation was.
Needless to say, Lowry wasn't at all happy with the officers' decision.
"I think they had it in their heads the ball moved, I caused it to move, it's a two-shot penalty. 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," Lowry was quoted as saying.
The movement of the ball at rest is regulated by Rule 9 of the Rules of Golf established by the R&A and the United States Golf Association. Basically, if a player moves their ball, they receive a two-stroke penalty, regardless of whether it was unintentional or if the movement did not result in a more favorable lie.
Golf Insider Points Out "Structural Problem" Behind Shane Lowry's Case
The matter prompted, among others, a reaction from well-known golf statistician Lou Stagner, who assessed the significance of Lowry's alleged ball movement. Stagner also offered his opinion on the underlying reasons for such situations.
Shane Lowry of Ireland on the 15th hole during day two of The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 18, 2025 in Portrush, Northern Ireland.
Shane Lowry of Ireland on the 15th hole during day two of The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 18, 2025 in Portrush, Northern Ireland."This is where golf's rules become divorced from common sense. What happened to Lowry should not be a penalty. There needs to be space in the rulebook for judgment. If the movement of the ball gave no benefit, there should be no consequence," he said via X. "The deeper problem is structural. The USGA and R&A are self-appointed governing bodies. They have no competition. They can operate however they choose. That is the nature of a monopoly."
The truth is, Lowry went from being tied for 17th at 2-under to making the cut by one stroke at even par. The Irishman wasn't exactly in contention for the title, as Scottie Scheffler leads at 10-under, but his situation was decidedly more favorable.
"Look, it's a disappointing thing to happen to me, but that's golf," Lowry told reporters, according to the transcript, trying to see the bright side. "Onwards and upwards and give it a run this weekend."
More Golf: Open Championship: Rory McIlroy Struggles Amid Local Hero 'Added Pressure'
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He's not going to become a fantasy stud, but it wouldn't surprise me if he becomes more of a 4.20 ERA pitcher on a better team, which has value in deeper formats. Jack Perkins - SP/RP, ATH: 18% rostered) With JP Sears traded at the deadline, both Perkins and JT Ginn - SP, ATH (16% rostered) are now in the Athletics' rotation. The 25-year-old Perkins has good stats as a starter in Triple-A this season and has also posted a 2.75 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 19/7 K/BB ratio in 19.2 MLB innings out of the bullpen. He might have the highest upside of any A's start or the remainder of the season. Meanwhile, Ginn had a great outing before the deadline against the Rangers, allowing just one run on five hits in five innings, but then got hit hard against the Diamondbacks on Saturday. He's rocking a sinker, slider, cutter pitch mix that he can locate well, which leads to lots of weak contact. He also only needed 58 pitches to go five innings against Texas, so he could easily push to six innings or beyond with that kind of efficiency. The strikeouts aren't likely to be there, which limits his overall upside, and that will also lead to some starts where the hits fall in, like against Arizona. Blake Treinen - RP, LAD: 15% rostered The Dodgers were thought to be seeking a huge upgrade to the back-end of their bullpen. In the end, they wound up only adding Brock Stewart. While Stewart is a solid reliever, I don't think he pushes Treinen out of the primary save share in Los Angeles. This should be a committee with Treinen and Alex Vesia (27% rostered) until Tanner Scott returns, so that's a win for Treinen in fantasy. Calvin Faucher - RP, MIA: 14% rostered Faucher seems to have settled into the closer role on a feisty Miami team that is winning a lot of games of late. Ronny Henriquez will mix in from time to time as well, but Faucher is scoreless in his last five outings and could pick up a handful of saves the rest of the way. Miami does like to mix and match though, so if he goes cold for a bit, they may try Henriquez or Anthony Bender at the end of games. Nestor Cortes - SP, SD: 13% rostered Cortes now has a locked-in rotation spot on a playoff contender, so that's a win for him. This past weekend, he struck out nine while allowing one earned run in 5 2/3 innings in what was scheduled to be his final rehab start with the Brewers, so perhaps the Padres will activate him this weekend to take Randy Vasquez's spot in the rotation. PetCo will be a good ballpark upgrade for Cortes, who should be added in all 15-team leagues and treated as a streamer for now in 12-team leagues until we see him back on the mound in a big league game. Bailey Falter - SP, KC: 11% rostered With Kris Bubic and Michael Lorenzen on the IL, it seems that both Falter and Ryan Bergert (2% rostered) should join the rotation in Kansas City. At least until Cole Ragans comes back; if he comes back. That's a win for both of them, just because Falter gets a team context and park upgrade, and Bergert moves from being a part-time starter to a full-time starter. I would treat them both as streamers in 12-team leagues but solid options in 15-team leagues. Cade Cavalli - SP, WAS: 1% rostered The Nationals traded Michael Soroka to the Cubs a couple of days before the deadline, and Soroka's next spot in the rotation lines up with when Cavalli would be starting at Triple-A. Even though Cavalli is not a lock for that rotation spot, he's the most intriguing option. The former top prospect is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, and his Triple-A results have been inconsistent, but he has flashed that same upside we saw before the injury, so it would be nice to see what he looks like against MLB arms. Johan Oviedo - SP, PIT: 0% rostered Oviedo struck out five and didn't walk anybody for Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday while throwing 42 of 62 pitches for strikes. The 27-year-old was placed on the 60-day IL back in March after battling both lat and elbow issues in the spring. He has a 3.12 ERA and 1.04 WHIP with a 21/4 K/BB ratio across 17 1/3 innings during his rehab and could be activated this week, possibly for a two-start week. Oviedo is not overly exciting, but a pitcher with a career 4.32 ERA in 320.2 MLB innings is certainly usable in deeper formats. Kevin Ginkel - RP, ARI: 9% rostered JJ Romero - RP, STL: 21% rostered Kyle Leahy, RP, STL: 3% rostered Jose A. Ferrer - RP, WAS: 7% rostered Dennis Santana - RP, PIT: 36% rostered Cole Sands - RP, MIN: 7% rostered Keegan Akin - RP, BAL: 3% rostered Yennier Cano - RP, BAL: 3% rostered Michael Kelly - RP, ATH: 1% rostered All of these guys may now be their team's closer or in part of a closer committee. These situations are all fluid until we see for sure how bullpen usage plays out, but if I was ranking them for waiver adds tonight, I'd rank them as: Santana, Ginkel, Ferrer, Romero, Faucher, Sands, Akin, Cano, Kelly, Leahy (and I'd have Blake Treinen and Randy Rodriguez above all of them). STREAMING STARTER PITCHERS MUST BE 40% ROSTERED ON YAHOO OR UNDER (ranked in loose order) Week of 8/4 Strong Preference Fairly Confident Some Hesitation Desperate / Uncertain Health or Role
