Shane Lowry Penalized at The Open 2025 – Golf Stars React to Controversial R&A Decision
Former Champion Golfer of the Year Shane Lowry found himself at the center of a heated rules controversy at The Open Championship 2025 at Royal Portrush. After a routine practice swing on the 11th hole, officials assessed Lowry a two-stroke penalty, claiming his ball moved—despite the Irishman insisting it didn’t.
💥 Golf legend Paul McGinley called the decision “harsh,” while World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler backed Lowry during a tense post-round review.
🎯 Did the R&A get it wrong? Was Lowry unfairly punished due to slow-motion replays and over-analysis?
In this video, we break down exactly what happened, the footage controversy, Lowry’s honest reaction, and why many in the golf world believe this incident could spark a rules shake-up.
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You’d expect a former champion golfer of the year to know the rules at Royal Portish, but even Shane Lowry wasn’t spared controversy at the Open Championship 2025. The Irishman found himself in hot water on Friday during the second round after a questionable penalty call by RNA officials altered the course of his tournament. Lowry, who appeared confident in his actions during a routine practice swing on the 11th hole, was shocked to learn that officials believed he had caused his ball to move, something he vehemently denied. “I definitely was looking down towards the ball as I was taking that practice swing, and I didn’t see it move,” Lowry told reporters after his round. Nevertheless, he was assessed a two-stroke penalty, dropping his score from two under to even par. The decision sparked immediate debate across the golfing world. European Rder Cup icon and respected analyst Paul McInley was one of the first to jump to Lowry’s defense posting on X. For me, this is very harsh and the rule needs a rethink. The spirit of the rule should be what’s important. A penalty should only be applied if the ball can be seen moving with the naked eye. According to Lowry, the situation unfolded midway through his round when RNA officials approached him on the 15th hole to inform him that they were reviewing footage of a potential infraction from earlier on the 11th. At the time, no final decision had been made. Lowry, who was sitting at one underpar, asked about the possible consequences. Once told he could face a two-shot penalty, he realized he might be right on the cut line. Obviously, then I feel like I’m on the cut mark then, which is not very nice. He said that he responded with a crucial birdie to get one shot inside the cut line. But the stress didn’t end there. After the round, the RNA confirmed the penalty following their review. Despite Lowry maintaining he hadn’t seen the ball move. I think they had it in their heads the ball moved. I caused it to move. It’s a two-shot penalty, Lowry said, clearly disheartened by the process. I had to take the penalty because I can’t have my name talked about or tossed around like that. I just get on with it. Lowry added that challenging the decision would have opened the door to public scrutiny and possibly unfounded accusations of cheating, something he had no interest in dealing with. He’s likely all too aware of the backlash Patrick Reed endured in a similar situation. Lowry wasn’t alone in questioning the fairness of the ruling. his playing partner, world number one Scotty Sheoffller, witnessed the incident firsthand and was present during the postround footage review. Ultimately, in golf, it’s up to the player, and I felt like Shane was put in a pretty tough situation there. Sheffller said, “When you’re zooming in on his golf ball in the rough, it’s hard to tell.” Sheffller, the reigning PGA Championship winner, suggested that the zoomedin footage may have distorted reality, giving the illusion of movement when there may have been none. I’m not going to state a strong opinion here in the media on whether or not I thought he deserved a penalty, he added diplomatically. But all I’m going to say is it was a very tough situation for him to be put in and I thought that he handled it really well with cameras closely tracking the feature group Lowry Sheffller and Colin Morawa. The RNA had plenty of footage to analyze. Still, even after such scrutiny, the final decision remains contentious. Though the penalty cannot be undone, the incident has ignited renewed call for the rules of golf to better reflect the spirit of the game. With support from high-profile figures like Mcinley and Sheffller, perhaps the RNA will be more cautious in similar cases going forward.
