Shane Lowry launched a foul-mouthed tirade at a cameraman during the second round of The Open at Royal Troon, but managed to keep his composure to remain in contention. The 2019 champion carded a 69 to go with his opening 66, leaving him at seven under par and the clubhouse leader heading into the weekend.
The incident occurred on the 11th hole, known as The Railway, when Lowry mishit his second shot from the rough into bushes. Frustrated by the cameraman’s movement, he shouted: “As I was over the ball I could just see you putting your camera up. Just get back there. F*** sake.”
Lowry later explained: “There was a cameraman there, and he was walking up, and I asked him to stop or move back, and he just kind of stayed there. As it was over, he put his camera up. I kind of saw it out of the corner of my eye, and I should have stood off it, my own fault.”
The drama continued when a spectator found Lowry’s lost ball in a bush, forcing him to play it rather than use his provisional. He eventually took a drop and escaped with a double bogey, giving back the two shots he gained on the front nine. “I felt like through that whole process… I was very calm and composed,” he said. “To be honest, I was happy enough leaving there with a six. It wasn't a disaster.”
Lowry bounced back with a birdie on the 16th and another on the 18th, finishing with a fist pump. Known for letting emotions get the better of him in the past, he said: “Sometimes you are in a frame of mind that it works better for. You get on with it better than other times. Almost ready for anything that's thrown at me, I feel like I'm ready to take it on the chin and move on.”
