The two-shot penalty that Shane Lowry incurred in the second round of The Open has become one of the biggest talking points of the championship so far.
The Irishman’s score was altered following the conclusion of his round when it was deemed that his ball had moved in the rough on the 12th.
As a result, it meant a double bogey for Lowry, not a par. The popular Irishman, who romped to victory at Royal Portush six years ago, said it’s “hard to take” – but what do you think about the incident?
Shane Lowry Rules Penalty: What Happened?
The 2019 Open champion found himself in the rough down the left side of the par-5 12th when his ball appeared to slightly roll back after he took a practice swing.
Video footage soon emerged (watch below) on social media of the incident. Lowry said he was told by an R&A official that a ruling would be assessed after the round.
It was later confirmed by the governing body that Lowry had received a one-stroke penalty for causing his ball to move and a further one-stroke penalty for not replacing it back to its original spot.
What Did Lowry Say?
A reasonable day turned into a disappointing one for Ireland’s Shane Lowry
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The 38-year-old, who dropped to 10 shots off the lead after the penalty, said he would have called himself up if he felt he had moved the ball and said he was not “arguing” his case with the official.
“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,” he said.
“I’m disappointed that they don’t have more camera angles on it. The one zoomed in slow motion – they’re trying to tell me if it doesn’t move from the naked eye, if you don’t see it moving, it didn’t move.
“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.”
What Do You Think?
You’ve been having your say on the Lowry rules incident on our Facebook page – and not everyone is feeling sympathy for the man from Offaly. Be sure to leave your view below in the comments section.
One reason for this is because Lowry took his practice swing quite close to the golf ball.
“The lesson to be learned is to take your practice swings well away from the ball,” said one reader, who also added…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Latest from Golf Monthly…