Golfers shanking their shots aggressively is a good reminder of how hilariously imperfect the game can be. But during the second round of the PGA Championship, a former Open champion hit a shot reminiscent of one you would see a 50-handicapper pull out at your local municipal course.
Shane Lowry's tee shot at the par-3 17th at Aronimink did not go to plan as the Irishman topped his ball and sent it straight into a pond. Lowry's shot did not get high off the ground and started screaming to the right, falling directly into the water. A stunned Lowry could only watch on in confusion after his shot appeared to put his hopes of making the cut in danger.
He let his frustration boil over after hitting his third shot from the drop zone. As Lowry walked toward the green with his putter in hand, he whipped the cover for his flat stick back at his Srixon staff bag.
Fans were stunned by the rare display, with one commenter on X proclaiming, 'WTF Shane Lowry just played the worst tee shot I have ever seen!' Another user wrote, 'Shane Lowry just hit a shank into the water on 17. I have never seen anything like it. Almost a complete top.' A third comment read, 'Shane Lowry is one of us.'
The Athletic's golf reporter Gabby Herzig wrote, 'Shane Lowry just hit a cold top-shank into the water on No. 17. I have never seen anything like it.' She then followed that up, saying, 'Well...I have seen it. But with a different caliber of player holding the club.'
Lowry managed to finish out the hole with a double-bogey five, which dropped him to two-over-par for the tournament. After going four-over for his first nine of the day (starting from the back-nine), Lowry bogeyed the fourth hole to stand at three-over for the tournament. With the cut currently projected to be at two-over, Lowry had five holes to go to make up for his earlier mistakes. Despite making par at holes five and six, Lowry took another step back with a bogey on the seventh hole. He followed that up with another bogey on the eighth hole that ultimately doomed him to an early exit from the tournament.
After finishing the first round at two-under, Lowry sank to four-over and missed the cut. It has been a tough season for Lowry as he has only managed a pair of top-ten finishes on the PGA Tour with roughly half the season remaining. Back in February, Lowry was on the verge of victory at the Cognizant Classic in Florida before he threw away a three-shot lead on the 16th and 17th holes.
