That’s Hard To Take’ – Shane Lowry Reacts To Two-Stroke Penalty At The Open.
The Irishman’s score was changed from a par to a double-bogey on the 12th after it was deemed that his ball moved in the rough.
Shane Lowry has received a two-stroke penalty for causing his ball to move in the rough during the second round of the 2025 Open.
The 2019 Open champion was in the rough down the left of the par-5 12th when his ball appeared to slightly roll back after taking a practice swing.
Video footage emerged on social media of the incident, with Lowry said to have been told by an R&A official that a ruling would be assessed after the round.
It was confirmed by the R&A 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.
Shane Lowry ruling: R&A statement
During Round Two, Shane Lowry’s ball was seen to have moved while he was taking a practice swing for his second shot from the rough at the 12th hole.
The Rules require three things to be assessed in such situations:
1. Did the ball leave its original position and come to rest on another spot?
2. Was the ball’s movement to another spot discernible to the naked eye?
and 3. If the ball did come to rest on another spot and the movement was discernible to the naked eye, is it known or virtually certain that the player’s actions caused the ball to move?
Assessing whether the movement of the ball was visible to the naked eye in such a situation assumes the player being in a normal address position for the stroke.
In Shane Lowry’s situation, the movement of the ball to another spot, including the movement of the logo, was discernible to the naked eye.
The naked eye test is satisfied whether or not the player was looking at the ball when it moved.
It was clear that the ball moved immediately after the player’s club touched foliage close to the ball during a practice swing and that the player’s actions caused the ball to move.
In these circumstances there is a one stroke penalty and the ball must be replaced.
However, as the ball was played from the spot where it was moved to, the player played from a wrong place and incurs a total penalty of two strokes.”
‘It’s obviously very disappointing’
Lowry said after his round that he did not see the ball move and didn’t fully agree with the ruling, but he accepted it because he didn’t want his name to be “talked about or tossed around like that.”
“Well, I didn’t know anything happened until walking up the 15th fairway and then the rules official came over and told me that there was a possibility the ball moved on the 12th for my second shot,” Lowry said.
“So I said – I’ve asked him, how many shot penalty is that if it did, and he said, two. Obviously then I feel like I’m on the cut mark then, which is not very nice.
“I feel like I played well on the way in and then obviously waited to see. I mean, yeah, I was in there with the rules official and wasn’t arguing my case, but 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.
Shane Lowry:
“I told them clearly—I was focused on the ball during my practice swing and didn’t see it move. Honestly, I’m still not sure if it did or didn’t. But I accepted the penalty because I didn’t want my integrity questioned or my name dragged through any controversy. I just took it on the chin and moved forward.
Of course, it’s really frustrating. I felt like I played some great golf today, and having that happen is tough to swallow. But look, I’ll regroup and come back tomorrow ready to fight again.”
Scottie Scheffler, Lowry’s playing partner:
“In golf, it’s ultimately up to the player to call penalties on themselves, and Shane was put in a really difficult spot. They were zooming in on his ball while he was in the rough—where it’s incredibly hard to see anything clearly. I watched the clip briefly, and honestly, it was almost impossible to tell if the ball moved. The camera was zoomed in and shifting right as everything happened.
What makes golf special is that players hold themselves accountable, and Shane did just that. He handled the whole thing with real class. Still, it’s frustrating to see a fellow player go through something like that, especially when no one wants to be associated with cheating in this sport.
I’m not going to come out with a strong opinion on whether the penalty was fair or not—but I will say, it was a really unfortunate and tricky situation for him.”
What happened:
Lowry’s score on the par-5 12th hole was changed from a par to a double bogey (7), turning what would have been a one-under-par 70 into a one-over 72, leaving him at even-par for the championship.
Watch the moment Shane Lowry’s ball moves in the rough:
