19 hours ago
3
Shane Lowry was left cursing a moment of madness at the US Open after picking up his ball without marking it — a simple but costly mistake that led to a penalty stroke during his second round at Oakmont.
The incident happened on the 14th green, where Lowry — facing a long-range par putt — lifted his ball before placing a marker behind it. His caddie, Darren Reynolds, immediately spotted the error.
'I just picked the ball up,' Lowry later admitted. 'I had the ball in my hand, turned around, and Darren basically said to me, "What are you doing?"
'I put it back down, marked it, and played on. I knew it was going to be penalised. I didn't know if it was going to be one or two [shots].'
According to article 14.1c of the Rules of Golf, 'before lifting a ball under a Rule that requires it to be replaced on its original spot, the player must mark the spot.'
Failing to do so results in a one-stroke penalty. If the ball is then replaced incorrectly, further penalties can apply — though Lowry avoided the latter by correcting his error.
Shane Lowry had a week to forget at the US Open at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania
A moment of madness saw Lowry pick up his ball before marking it, earning a penalty stroke
He was docked one stroke and went on to make a double bogey at the hole — one of several costly moments during two bruising days in Pennsylvania.
Lowry called the slip 'probably one of the stupidest things I've ever done', but he managed to laugh at himself despite the frustration.
'Maybe my mind was somewhere else,' he added. 'But I fought. I still tried on every shot. That's all you can do in a week like this.'
The 2019 Open champion ultimately missed the cut by 10 shots after rounds of 79 and 78, finishing 17 over par.
Only three players were under par by the time he left the event on Friday.
Lowry said he had arrived at Oakmont in good form, but never found any rhythm on the greens — ranking 153rd out of 156 in strokes gained putting.
He three-putted four times across his two rounds and carded five double bogeys in total.
'I drove it in play a lot, did what I was supposed to off the tee, but I didn't have the game I've had for the last while,' he said.
'The round got away from me. I let it do to me what I said it wouldn't. But that's Oakmont. That's the US Open.'
Lowry now heads to the Travelers Championship before returning home to Ireland for the first time since Christmas.
Irishman Lowry, 38, was 17 over par after two rounds of play, which saw him miss the cut
Lowry later said: 'Maybe my mind was somewhere else. But I fought. I still tried on every shot'
'I've been away from my wife and kids for a few weeks now, and there's another week next week,' he said. 'I'm looking forward to getting home, seeing all my friends and family.'
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he added: 'Never nice heading home early on major weekends. My game was in good shape heading into Oakmont but that's golf sometimes. I gave it my all on every shot and that's all I can ask.'
'I play with my heart on my sleeve. I've always been a fiery and passionate player and I'll continue to be. It's who I am and how I got here.'
Lowry was not the only high-profile casualty at Oakmont, with Tommy Fleetwood, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau also missing the cut.
