Check in after each round of the 2025 Open Championship for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics of the championship, and join the conversation by tweeting us @golf_com.
Shane Lowry was given a two-shot penalty after the second round of the Open Championship after it was determined his practice swing on the 12th hole caused his ball to move. Lowry didn’t replace it in the original spot and hit his approach shot, which triggered a rules review. Lowry was informed of the review on the 15th hole and told that he would need to come in after the round to look at the footage. Under R&A rules, players will not be penalized if they made their ball move but it was not clear to “the naked eye.” Lowry discussed the incident with the rules officials after the round and accepted the penalty.
Lowry was asked about the penalty after the round and whether or not he felt it was a fair ruling.
“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,” Lowry said. “I told them I definitely was looking down towards the ball as I was taking that practice swing, and I didn’t see it move. But I had to take the penalty because — I’m still not sure, to be honest, whether it was or not, but I had to take the penalty because I can’t have my name talked about or tossed around like that, and I just get on with it. It’s obviously very disappointing.”
Was the ruling unfair?
James Colgan, news and features editor (@jamescolgan26): Uh, yeah. If you need 20 minutes to determine via slow-mo footage if an infraction occurred, you probably shouldn’t be enforcing a penalty in the first place.
Josh Schrock, news editor (@Schrock_And_Awe): The “naked eye” rule was put into effect in 2013 to not rely on enhanced technological evidence. If Lowry says he didn’t see the ball move, then that should be that. Feels like an own goal the Mike Davis-led USGA would make, not the R&A.
Nick Piastowski, senior editor (@nickpia): Yes. If the man said he didn’t see it, he didn’t see it. We seem to salute players for being honest only when they’re penalized, which is funky to me. If you want Lowry to get the penalty, you should want video review to be instituted with no questions asked (and I don’t think you should want that).
Josh Sens, senior writer (@joshsens): An own goal for sure. Credit to Lowry for not making an adolescent stink about it. But it would have been hard to blame him if he had.
Dylan Dethier, senior writer (@dylan_dethier): I’m not wholly clear on whether or not this should be a penalty, but it feels quite stupid that this is two strokes. If it’s deemed he moved the ball, count it as one and move on. It’s completely illogical that it should cost you more to hit the ball by accident than on purpose.
