Shane Lowry docked 2 shots when his golf ball moves a fraction of an inch at British Open
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — Shane Lowry was hopeful of making a few birdies to inch a little closer to Scottie Scheffler in the British Open. And then he learned about the potential of a two-shot penalty, and it became a pressure-filled finish to make the cut.
Lowry was penalized two shots when his ball moved a fraction of an inch — the label on his golf is seen to dip ever so slightly — while he was taking a practice swing next to the ball in the rain-soaked rough on the par-5 12th at Royal Portrush.
That turned his 70 into a 1-over 72. He goes into weekend 10 shots behind the No. 1 player in the world at Royal Portrush, where Lowry won the claret jug in 2019.
He said the R&A informed him of the potential penalty on the 15th hole — Lowry was at 1 under, and the 36-hole cut was looking to be at 1-over par.
'I told them I definitely was looking down towards the ball as I was taking that practice swing, and I didn't see it move,' Lowry said. "But 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.
'It's obviously very disappointing," he said. 'Look, I'll just have to dust myself off and get out there tomorrow and give it a go.'
There is an exception for when a violation could be seen with the naked eye, without having to rely on video that zooms in. Lowry told them while he didn't see it move, he was looking down in the direction of the ball.
Assuming there might be a penalty, Lowry made a 10-foot birdie putt on the 15th and closed with three pars. With the penalty, he was at even-par 142.
Lowry said he felt the R&A officials had their minds made up that he caused the ball to move under the rules and that it would be 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,' he said.
'If the ball moved and I caused it to move and it moved, it's a two-shot penalty,' he 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.'
Lowry and Scheffler, who played together, met with the officials for about 20 minutes after the round to review the video.
'It was a very tough spot for Shane to be put in,' Scheffler said. '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.'
___
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
recommended
Item 1 of 3 in this topic
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
23 minutes ago
- New York Post
Hojgaard twins cheering one another on in historic British Open pursuit — for now
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Rasmus Hojgaard had just completed his second round Friday, vaulting into contention at Royal Portrush with a chance to become the first Danish player ever to win a British Open. His 3-under-par 68 got him to 5-under entering the weekend, five shots out of the lead held by Scottie Scheffler. Advertisement As Rasmus was having a post-round chat with reporters, his 24-year-old twin brother, Nicolai, was playing the front nine and had moved to 3-under. 'Are you rooting for or against your brother now that you're both in good position on the leaderboard?'' a reporter asked Rasmus.
USA Today
23 minutes ago
- USA Today
'Absolute, true mastery': Scottie Scheffler goes low, takes British Open lead to weekend
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland – Forget about all the pre-championship talk that Scottie Scheffler still needs to learn how to play links. On Friday, the world No. 1 golfer could have taught a Master Class, reeling off eight birdies to shoot 7-under 64 at Royal Portrush Golf Club and grab a one-stroke lead over Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick at the midway point of the 153rd British Open. 'Tiger Woodsdid this, Jack Nicklaus did this, and I think it's a testament to the truest mastery, the absolute height of the game, and it's so rare that you see someone take this game to a level where there is no past, there is no future, they're just completely in the moment,' Golf Channel's Brandel Chamblee said. 'What we've seen the last two days is absolute, true mastery.' After shooting 68 on Thursday despite hitting only three fairways, Scheffler found the short grass more often and his putter, which had been more foe than friend on slower greens than he is used to last week in Scotland, heated up. He ranks second in Strokes Gained: putting this week. It added up to his 19th career 36-hole lead or co-lead on Tour and fourth this season. Scheffler, who won the PGA Championship for his third career major in May, is poised to win a third leg of the career Grand Slam. Not even a wild weather day could slow him down as he improved to a 36-hole total of 10-under-par 132. 'It was super sunny when we were on the driving range, I'm out there in short sleeves, it's warm out. Then we get to the 1st hole, it's still sunny. Then all of a sudden, you look around and it's super dark and it starts pouring rain,' he said. 'You're like, boy, I wonder how long this is going to last.' Matt Fitzpatrick, the 2022 U.S. Open champ, would like his run of good form to continue for at least two more days. He opened with rounds of 67 and 66 as he attempts to become the first Englishman since Nick Faldo 33 years ago to win the British Open. Fitzpatrick will be paired alongside Scheffler in the final group on Saturday but said the pressure will be on Scheffler. 'He's going to have the expectation to go out and dominate. He's an exceptional player. He's World No. 1, and we're seeing Tiger-like stuff. I think the pressure is for him to win the golf tournament,' Fitzpatrick said. 'For me obviously I hope I'm going to have some more home support than him, but it's an exciting position for me to be in given where I was earlier this year.' Scheffler and Fitzpatrick have company from Brian Harman (65) and Haotong Li (67), who are two back. Harman won the 2023 British Open and looks to have regained the form that allowed him to cruise to the title two years ago. Making his Scheffler is into the joint lead. 'One of my favorite traits about Brian is when people count him out and don't believe he can do something, it almost motivates him more to be that bulldog,' Golf Channel's Johnson Wagner said. 'He's a gritty guy, he's a little undersized so people always underestimate him like they did at [the 2023 Open] and he just slammed the door on them. I wouldn't count Brian out just yet.' Further down the leaderboard is a party of five at 5 under, including Dane Rasmus Hojgaard, Englishman Tyrrell Hatton (the top LIV contender), Scotland's Robert MacIntyre and Americans Harris English and Chris Gotterup. Hojgaard's twin brother, Nicolai, and Tony Finau are a shot further back at 4 under and T-10. Among those lurking at 3 under include Northern Ireland's own Rory McIlroy and U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley. 'I'm excited for that opportunity,' McIlroy said. 'I didn't have this opportunity six years ago, so to play an extra two days in this atmosphere in front of these crowds, I'm very excited for that. I feel like my game's definitely good enough to make a run.' Bryson DeChambeau rallied to make the cut on the number with a 65 on Friday. Seventy golfers advanced to the weekend with a 36-hole total of 1-over 143 or better. Among those sent packing were Collin Morikawa, who for the first time in his career failed to record a top 10 at a major; Patrick Cantlay, who missed his third cut in a row at a major; LIV's Joaquin Niemann and Australian Adam Scott. The Claret Jug and the honor to be called Champion Golfer of the Year still is very much up for grabs but it won't be easy to chase down world No. 1. 'It would not surprise me at all if he leaves everyone in the rearview mirror,' Chamblee said.
Fox Sports
23 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Texas Rangers add veteran 1B Rowdy Tellez to their roster after All-Star break
Associated Press ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Veteran first baseman Rowdy Tellez was added to the Texas Rangers roster and was in the lineup Friday night for their first game after the All-Star break. There was no corresponding move necessary before their game against Detroit because the Rangers had an open spot on their 26-man active roster, and their 40-man roster. First baseman Jake Burger was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday because of a left quad strain. The Rangers also Friday put outfielder Sam Haggerty on the 10-day IL, retroactive to Tuesday, with left ankle inflammation. They selected Cody Freeman, a fourth-round draft pick in 2019, from Triple-A Round Rock and he was looking to make his big league debut. He was hitting .315 with 12 homers in the minors. Texas is the fifth big league team for the 30-year-old Tellez. He signed with Seattle as a free agent in February, then hit .208 with 11 home runs and 27 RBIs in 62 games before being designated for assignment and then released by the Mariners. He signed a minor league deal with Texas on July 5 and had been at Round Rock. 'They called me up, and try to make an impact in a positive way,' Tellez said. Tellez has a .232 average with 116 homers and 346 RBIs since his big league debut with Toronto in 2018. He has also played for Milwaukee and Pittsburgh. Burger, acquired in a trade from Miami in December, has hit .228 with 11 homers and 35 RBIs in 75 games. He is on the IL for the second time this season. ___ AP MLB: recommended Item 1 of 3
