Lowry hit with 2-shot Open penalty: 'Hard to take'

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland -- Ireland's Shane Lowry was assessed a two-stroke punishment pursuing his 2nd circular astatine the Open Championship connected Friday aft the broadcast video provender appeared to amusement his shot moving somewhat erstwhile helium took a signifier plaything successful the unsmooth connected the 12th hole.

Lowry made par connected the spread earlier the penalty. The two-shot deduction took him from a 1-under 69 to a 1-over 71 and placed him astatine adjacent par for the championship, making the chopped by 1 shot.

"It's evidently precise disappointing," Lowry said. "I felt similar I played really, truly good today. And yeah, that's hard to take."

The 2019 Open champion astatine Royal Portrush said helium was unaware that the shot moved oregon that determination was immoderate contented until helium was walking up the 15th fairway and a rules authoritative approached him to accidental determination was a anticipation his shot moved connected his 2nd changeable connected the 12th.

"I've asked him, 'How galore shots punishment is that if it did?' and helium said, 'Two.'" Lowry said. "Obviously past I consciousness similar I'm connected the chopped people then, which is not precise nice. I consciousness similar I played good connected the mode successful and past evidently waited to see."

After a 20-minute hold and treatment wrong the scoring structure with rules officials and his playing partners, Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa, Lowry emerged and the ruling was announced.

"I had to instrumentality it ... I wasn't arguing my case, but I'm disappointed that they don't person much camera angles connected it," Lowry said. "The 1 zoomed successful dilatory question -- they're trying to archer maine if it doesn't determination from the bare eye, if you don't spot it moving, it didn't move. I told them I decidedly was looking down towards the shot arsenic I was taking that signifier swing, and I didn't spot it move."

Lowry added that helium felt similar helium took his signifier plaything good distant from the ball. He besides said that helium felt similar officials already had their determination made earlier they reviewed it with players pursuing the round.

"If the shot moved, I would person called it connected myself. My caput was decidedly looking down astatine the shot and I didn't spot it moving," Lowry said. "The past happening I privation to bash is beryllium determination and reason and not instrumentality the punishment and past get slaughtered each implicit societal media contiguous for being a cheat."

When asked astir the incidental aft his round, Scheffler said helium felt Lowry was enactment successful a pugnacious concern having the camera zoom successful connected his play shot astatine that infinitesimal and added it was precise hard to spot successful the video if the shot was moving oregon not.

"I'm not going to authorities a beardown sentiment present successful the media connected whether oregon not I thought helium deserved the penalty, but each I'm going to accidental is it was a precise pugnacious concern for him to beryllium enactment in, and I thought helium handled it truly well," Scheffler said. "It's evidently precise frustrating. It's frustrating for maine arsenic a rival of his and a subordinate to ticker him aft benignant of woody with that due to the fact that the past happening you privation to beryllium known successful the crippled of play is idiosyncratic who cheats."

Despite the penalty, Lowry inactive made the chopped by 1 shot. Now, however, helium volition statesman the play 10 shots down Scheffler alternatively of eight. In 2019, Lowry changeable 63 astatine Portrush connected Saturday to instrumentality power of the tournament.

"I'm conscionable going to person to instrumentality it -- it's a atrocious interruption -- and determination on," Lowry said. "I'll conscionable person to particulate myself disconnected and get retired determination time and springiness it a go."