The post ‘Not sure what’s worse:’ Shane Lowry shreds Bryson DeChambeau over rope spoof appeared first on Golf.

The post ‘Not sure what’s worse:’ Shane Lowry shreds Bryson DeChambeau over rope spoof appeared first on Golf.

Bryson DeChambeau poked fun at himself. 

And Shane Lowry poked fun at the poking fun. 

Before we get into the jabs, some background is in order. Eleven days ago, at the LIV Golf event in Chicago, DeChambeau took a fan rope to the face while trying to duck underneath it, swore, dropped to a knee, and if you didn’t see it live, social media has got you, from every angle. Players at the Presidents Cup were aware of it; a day later, during a practice round at Quail Hollow, one imitated the incident. Presidents Cup broadcasters got into it, too. 

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On Saturday, Davis Love III, the U.S. captain, was driving his cart when he grabbed a rope, lifted it over his head, drove under it and released it, and the joke was placed on a tee for announcer Dan Hicks and analyst Paul Azinger.  

“And the captain … successfully handling the gallery rope,” Hicks quipped. “Not easy to do, Zing.”

“Not for everyone,” Azinger said. “Not for everyone.”

Too easy. On Wednesday, during a break at the Professional Long Drivers Association world championships, where he is competing, DeChambeau added his spin. Working with comedy group Country Club Adjacent, which has appeared at multiple events at the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series, DeChambeau was filmed in a short video where he stood before another rope, ducked underneath it without incident and was swarmed in a celebration. He then ducked back under the rope, celebrated more, and the clip ended. 

Enter Lowry. 

Whether he had seen the original incident is unknown, but he had watched the spoof. And about five or so hours after he finished up a two-under 70 at the DP World Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, Lowry weighed in with 10 words. 

“Not sure what’s worse, this or tomorrow’s @dunhilllinks weather forecast…” he wrote on Twitter. 

Other pros commented on the post. 

Thomas Peters wrote: “Not even close.” Richard Ramsay quote-tweeted it and added a laughing emoji. 

And the weather? So poor is the forecast, with cool temps, rain and win, that the event will play Friday’s second round with a shotgun start.

(And yes, if you’ve been following the PGA Tour-DP World Tour vs. LIV Golf saga, and know that LIV plays with a shotgun start, this may make you laugh, too.)  

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The post Will LIV players play in Ryder Cup? We won’t know for months appeared first on Golf.

The post Will LIV players play in Ryder Cup? We won’t know for months appeared first on Golf.

There may be a full on civil war taking place in the world of men’s golf right now, but if they can agree on one thing, it’s this: players on both sides seem to think it’ll resolve itself … soon enough. 

There are exactly 203 days until the 2023 Masters, 112 days until the first elevated event of the ’23 Tour season, 42 days until LIV’s first team event. Sometime in the next two months, we’ll know how the two tours’ schedules will officially intersect next season. 

“It’s up to the powers that be,” Rory McIlroy said Wednesday in Italy, ”to try to come to some sort of —not resolution, I don’t think that’s the right word — but a strategy going forward so that the game can drive at the highest level.”

A lot of players have said exactly this, or some derivative of it. They show some patience with the question being asked again, and dish out an answer that clings to a little bit of hope. It’s just no one can agree on when a resolution might actually take hold. When exactly will another decision be made? When will the Official World Golf Rankings decide if 54-hole LIV events can issue world ranking points? When will major championships change their qualification standards, if at all? 

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“It’s a weird time in golf,” McIlroy also said. Weird perhaps because the next major decision might not come down to those typical golf “powers that be,” and could instead just come from a United Kingdom court. That we actually have some details on. 

The DP World Tour currently has to make room for LIV golfers who want to compete in their events and are qualified to do so, thanks to a court-ruled stay of sanctions. Events like last week’s BMW PGA Championship could become the new norm, during which more than a dozen LIV golfers played at Wentworth. Despite commissioner Keith Pelley’s best wishes, that will be the case for weeks and months to come. 

Sometime in February, the sanctions handed down by Pelley — suspensions and fines, akin to those by the PGA Tour, and for similar reasons — will begin to be decided as fair or unjust. Until then, as we first learned at the Scottish Open, LIV golfers were granted the precedent of a stay of those sanctions. 

Unfortunately for the likes of McIlroy, who is in Rome this week playing next year’s Ryder Cup course, and even more so for his captain Luke Donald, the questions will not cease. Each event is another event closer to next year’s Cup, and another event where the same answers have to be trotted out. 

McIlroy: “But yeah, I have said it once I’ve said it a hundred times, I don’t think any of those guys should be on The Ryder Cup Team.”

Donald, this week: We’re still a little bit in limbo. We don’t know what’s going to happen with the lawsuit so I’m trying to not really put too much energy.

Donald, on Aug. 1: There are legal appeals ongoing, and until such time the players are entitled to play

Shane Lowry last week: With all due respect to a lot of those guys over at LIV, I think they know themselves and that’s why they went to LIV. Their Ryder Cup days are probably over.

Shane Lowry on Monday: Like I said it last week at Wentworth. With all due respect to the guys over at LIV that are European. I think for most of ‘em, their Ryder Cup years are behind them.”

If you’re exhausted by this song-and-dance, it’s not going away. It’s only at that February court hearing, the details of which have not been well-publicized, that we will understand the future of LIV golfers and the DP World Tour. 

Scenario A: Similar to the PGA Tour, LIV golfers are suspended and/or banned, and will not be able to compete, therefore dropping opportunities for world golf ranking points and entrance into the majors. 

Scenario B: The court sympathizes with LIV golfers, calling LIV another just another organization in the free marketplace of professional golf. LIV golfers are therefore allowed to earn qualification points in the Ryder Cup standings and earn their way onto Donald’s roster. 

In a wild, dystopian golf future, could one of those automatic qualifiers be Henrik Stenson, the ex-captain who lost the captainship by joining LIV? Crazier things have happened. 

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The post ‘One for the good guys’: Shane Lowry wins the BMW PGA to cap a wild week at Wentworth appeared first on Golf.

The post ‘One for the good guys’: Shane Lowry wins the BMW PGA to cap a wild week at Wentworth appeared first on Golf.

Things were anything but ordinary this week at the BMW PGA Championship.

Lawsuits, barbs in the press, and geopolitics all had moments of topicality throughout the week at Wentworth, but on Sunday, the golf finally took center stage. And when the dust settled, Shane Lowry stood as the lone man atop the leaderboard.

“I’m so happy,” Lowry said. “I’m the happiest man in the world right now.”

Lowry’s sentiments were earnest and simple. It had been over three years since the Irishman had laid his hands on a trophy, and the drought was wearing on his psyche. But in a superb Sunday 65, Lowry quelled the negativity that crept into his head and bested a field of top players for a one-stroke victory.

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Getting to Lowry’s moment of jubilation wasn’t quite so simple, though.

The inclusion of LIV golfers in the field started the week on a tense note. Before a shot was even struck at Wentworth, the storylines were spicy. A lawsuit in the UK allowed for LIV golfers to gain entry into the field, and those who’ve remained loyal to the DP World Tour were not so happy to see their old pals — Lowry included.

“There are certain guys that I just can’t stand being here, if I’m being honest,” Lowry said. “I don’t like it that they’re here. To be honest, the one thing that has really annoyed me over the last few months is how disruptive they’re all trying to be. I get that they’re here to get world ranking points and do that, but in a way I think they’re here for that and to be disruptive.”

Lowry was hardly the only loyalist to express his annoyance with the LIV golfers playing the BMW. Billy Horschel delivered an impassioned monologue calling the defectors “hypocrites” for showing up at Wentworth, while Jon Rahm called out LIV golfers for exploiting the DP World Tour for world ranking points. Rory McIlroy used his time with the press to poke fun at the LIV golfers in the field.

“I’ll be trying to win a golf tournament regardless,” he said. “They are going to be pretty tired on Sunday; it will be the fourth day.”

On Thursday, play finally commenced — and things only got more strange.

As play neared completion during the opening round, tragedy struck the UK when it was announced that Queen Elizabeth II had died at the age of 96. The loss of the monarch reverberated throughout the country, and golf quickly became an afterthought.

Out of respect for the fallen leader, officials elected to suspend play at Wentworth. The stoppage lasted through Friday as flags were lowered to half-mast and the country mourned the death of the Queen.

“She truly was an inspiration to people the world over,” the DP World Tour said in a statement. “Our deepest sympathies and condolences are with the Royal Family at this time.”

Although the shock of the Queen’s passing was still fresh in the minds of many associated with the tournament, officials decided to press on with their flagship event, albeit with a truncated, 54-hole format. Players returned to Wentworth Saturday morning.

Round 2 was dominated by Scandinavians as Søren Kjeldsen and Viktor Hovland rocketed to the top of the leaderboard. But it would be another crop of European stars that became the storyline on Sunday.

Lowry and McIlroy began the day within striking distance of the lead, but Rahm inserted himself into the conversation with a spirited back-nine charge. Thanks to five birdies and two eagles over his final nine holes, Rahm posted at 16-under to claim the clubhouse lead.

“I remember Alex Noren did it to me one year — the year he won, he went out early and shot 62,” Lowry said. “That came into my head … I just tried my best.”

On this day, Lowry’s best was just good enough. With an eagle and five birdies — including at the par-5 18th hole — the Irishman posted at 17-under. And when McIlroy’s final eagle putt slid past the hole on the 18th green some 15 minutes later, Lowry finally claimed the crown.

The circumstances surrounding the tournament made it all the more sweet.

“I made no secrets how I felt about this whole thing at the start of the week,” Lowry said. “I wanted to go out and win this tournament for myself first and foremost. But also for this tour and everyone who’s stayed loyal to this tour. I really feel like this is one for the good guys.”

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The post ‘He looked like Jesus out there’: The unfortunate reason this caddie had to wear sandals on the course appeared first on Golf.

The post ‘He looked like Jesus out there’: The unfortunate reason this caddie had to wear sandals on the course appeared first on Golf.

A caddie’s job isn’t easy. They’ve got to grab numbers for their player, read putts and lug around a heavy bag an undulating golf course. These duties are difficult under normal circumstances, but add in an injury — such as foot blisters — to the equation, and things get a whole lot tougher.

That’s just the situation Shane Lowry‘s caddie, Brian Martin, found himself in on Saturday at the BMW Championship. But instead of contending with blisters the entire round, Martin made a switch at the turn — albeit into some unusual footwear: Birkenstocks.

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PGA Tour Live cameras picked up on the oddity during Saturday’s third round as Lowry played the par-3 13th hole, and the announcers were perplexed.

“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” one announcer asked. “Are those actually Birkenstocks he’s caddying in? This can’t be real.”

The duo in the booth tossed out their best theories — a lost bet, to even out his tan line, etc. — as to why Martin opted for the sandals, but luckily, Lowry cleared up the confusion following his final round on Sunday.

“He loves those Jordan runners,” Lowry said. “I bought him a few pairs, and I was home on Monday and I brought them up to him this week, and yeah, he just got really bad blisters.”

Lowry explained that he and Martin attempted to bandage the wounds mid-round, but the brand-new sneakers had already done the damage. With options limited, Lowry suggested his looper grab his Birkenstocks to wear for the remainder of the round.

“I said, ‘Why not wear them for the back nine?'” Lowry said. “I mean, it’s dry, it’s fine, and they’re comfy. [He] looked like Jesus out there.”

The switch seemed to work. Not only did Martin’s foot ailment improve on the back nine, but so too did his bosses score. Lowry shot three under on the inward half to post a Saturday 71.

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The post ‘Two holes in a row!’: Shane Lowry just clipped a 21-year-old major record appeared first on Golf.

The post ‘Two holes in a row!’: Shane Lowry just clipped a 21-year-old major record appeared first on Golf.

It’s easy to find history at St. Andrews, but it’s nearly impossible to make it.

The Old Course is just that — old. It is, in fact, the oldest golf course on earth. So too is the Open Championship; the oldest of golf’s majors, and the most historic. In order to make history here, one has to outlast the ghosts of golf’s past — and there are a lot of them.

On Saturday at the Open Championship, Shane Lowry snatched his own little piece of golf history at the Old Course. During his third round charge up the leaderboard, the 2019 Open winner managed a feat that hasn’t been touched in Open Championship play in 21 years. And even that might undersell it.

It all started on the ninth hole, a 352-yard par-4 that has been drivable for most on moving day at the Open. Lowry missed his drive just wide of the green on the 9th, sending his ball into the brush and leaving a wedge into the flagstick. On his ensuing shot, Lowry punched a low spinner out of the rough that squirted onto the green, crawled up toward the flagstick, and then fell in. Bang. Lowry had made eagle.

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Now riding a wave of momentum at seven under, Lowry headed off to the 10th, a similarly short par-4 in the opposite direction. Playing into the wind on Saturday, the 384-yard hole has not been drivable for as many players, but has been equally as scorable as the 9th. Lowry ripped driver down the fairway on 10, a smooth, confident strike that left him with another short wedge shot into the green.

“A tricky hole location on 10 though, mounds and bumps to have to deal with,” the World Feed’s broadcaster said, warning of the danger that hid behind even a simple chip shot.

Lowry, for his part, was unmoved. He hit another low pitch, sending a tiny divot into the air ahead of him. His ball once again shot out onto the green, hurtling directly toward the hole. And once again, before it could slow to a stop, the ball fell into the bottom of the cup.

“This is tremendous!! Two in a row!”

Lowry thrust his arms in the air. He had just chipped-in for eagle on consecutive holes. In a little less than 20 minutes, he’d made up four shots on the field. Suddenly, it was 2019 all over again.

In fact, stats guru Justin Ray tweeted out, it was time to party like it was 2001. Lowry had just become the first golfer in 21 years to make eagle on consecutive holes at the Open Championship, becoming the first player since Phil Mickelson in ’01 to earn the honor.

Further, Ray pointed out, Lowry is the only example of a player to have consecutive eagles on par-4s in a major championship in the last 25 years.

Lowry would go on to give at least two of those strokes back in the holes following No. 10, sinking outside of the top 10 in the process. But whatever his final score on Saturday, he’ll leave with a piece of Old Course history under his belt — and that’s something worth celebrating.

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The post Securing Victory: What top players get out of their Old Course practice rounds appeared first on Golf.

The post Securing Victory: What top players get out of their Old Course practice rounds appeared first on Golf.

At a historic venue highlighted by blind shots and firm greens, practice rounds are the ultimate tool of preparation. Ahead of the 150th Open Championship, we’ve partnered with CDW to understand how the world’s best get ready. GOLF’s Sean Zak and Dylan Dethier discuss what they’ve been seeing from pros on the grounds at St. Andrews.

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The post How this pro’s devastating U.S. Open collapse fueled his first major win appeared first on Golf.

The post How this pro’s devastating U.S. Open collapse fueled his first major win appeared first on Golf.

Golf can be a cruel game, even for some of the very best players in history. For every player who triumphs in a major championship, there’s a multitude of others who fall just short, and must live with the thoughts of “what if” for the rest of their careers.

Irishman Shane Lowry is among the latter, despite his many successes on Tour. Even though he achieved an incredible triumph — winning the Open Championship in 2019, the year it returned to the island of Ireland — three years before, he had been gutted beyond belief when a four-shot lead at the U.S. Open at Oakmont disintegrated over the course of the final round when Lowry bogeyed three of his final five holes, posting a Sunday 76.

Yet, with the benefit of hindsight, Lowry acknowledges that it was likely the intense heartbreak that he experienced at Oakmont that led to his dominant maiden major victory at Royal Portrush, and on this week’s episode of Off Course with Claude Harmon, he explained why.

Instruction

“I let [Oakmont] get away from me, and that still bugs me to this day,” Lowry said. “I had a four-shot lead, and obviously DJ clawed it back, and I made a few bogeys. And then, before I knew it, I was standing on the 14th green, with a 30-footer for birdie, and I was tied for the lead. But really, in my head, everything had gone so quickly, and I was after losing my four-shot lead, and everything was getting away from me. But I was actually still in the tournament.”

Lowry said that his inability to look past the fact that his lead had dissipated and instead focus on the present — that he was still in the hunt — was due to his own immaturity. But when he was again tasked with playing the final round of a major with a significant lead — once more, a four-shot advantage — Lowry believes he was better prepared the second time around.

“I was in the same situation in Portrush, and I knew what I was gonna be faced with,” Lowry said. “I knew those lads were gonna throw basically the kitchen sink at me, and I knew I needed to be tough and strong and mentally strong that day. And I was.”

Indeed. Lowry ended up winning the 2019 Open Championship by six shots over Tommy Fleetwood.

For more from Lowry, including what he learned from watching Tiger make a 10 at the Masters, and why he likes to keep his pre-round warmup short, check out the full interview below.

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The post Off Course with Claude Harmon: Why this major winner likes to keep his warm-up short appeared first on Golf.

The post Off Course with Claude Harmon: Why this major winner likes to keep his warm-up short appeared first on Golf.

On this week’s episode of Off Course with Claude Harmon, Shane Lowry explained why he prefers short warm-ups before his tee time.

Thanks to our partners — 

Rapsodo, a mobile launch monitor you can get for the fraction of the price of others, is giving our listeners a code to try it out. Go to rapsodo.com/offcourse and use the code OFFCOURSE for $100 off your purchase. 

Cobra Golf’s new KING Forged TEC Irons are on the way and are now available for pre-order. Find out more or make your purchase today at cobragolf.com 

Follow Claude to submit questions, enter giveaways and keep up with the latest Off Course updates on Instagram at @ClaudeHarmon3

ADP uses data-driven insights to design HR solutions to help you and your business work better, smarter, more efficiently. So, you can think beyond today and have more success tomorrow. ADP. Always designing for HR, talent, time, benefits, payroll and people.

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The post Off Course with Claude Harmon: How this pro’s devastating loss fueled his first major win appeared first on Golf.

The post Off Course with Claude Harmon: How this pro’s devastating loss fueled his first major win appeared first on Golf.

On this week’s episode of Off Course with Claude Harmon, Shane Lowry explained how his loss at Oakmont fueled his win at Royal Portrush.

Thanks to our partners — 

Rapsodo, a mobile launch monitor you can get for the fraction of the price of others, is giving our listeners a code to try it out. Go to rapsodo.com/offcourse and use the code OFFCOURSE for $100 off your purchase. 

Cobra Golf’s new KING Forged TEC Irons are on the way and are now available for pre-order. Find out more or make your purchase today at cobragolf.com 

Follow Claude to submit questions, enter giveaways and keep up with the latest Off Course updates on Instagram at @ClaudeHarmon3

ADP uses data-driven insights to design HR solutions to help you and your business work better, smarter, more efficiently. So, you can think beyond today and have more success tomorrow. ADP. Always designing for HR, talent, time, benefits, payroll and people.

The post Off Course with Claude Harmon: How this pro’s devastating loss fueled his first major win appeared first on Golf.

The post ‘One of the best lessons that I’ve ever got’: What Shane Lowry learned from Tiger Woods’ 10 at the Masters appeared first on Golf.

The post ‘One of the best lessons that I’ve ever got’: What Shane Lowry learned from Tiger Woods’ 10 at the Masters appeared first on Golf.

Though Shane Lowry’s triumph at the 2019 Open Championship at Royal Portrush was the crowning accomplishment of his career this far, the 35-year-old Irishman has endured his share of heartbreak at major championships.

Lowry led the U.S. Open at Oakmont by four shots with one round to play in 2016, and eventually lost to Dustin Johnson. And at the 2022 Masters, he was gaining momentum in a Sunday chase of leader Scottie Scheffler until an untimely triple-bogey derailed him.

But instead of letting the blunder ruin him, Lowry bounced back admirably at Augusta, carding six birdies on his final 14 holes to finish tied for third — his best-ever finish at the Masters.

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Turns out, Lowry had received a lesson in resilience at Augusta back in 2020, when he played alongside Tiger Woods at the November Masters.

On this week’s episode of Off Course with Claude Harmon, Lowry explained what it was like to watch the game’s GOAT make a 10 on a par-3 — and what Lowry learned from the aftermath.

“I played with Tiger in the final round [of the November Masters], and he made a 10 on the 12th,” Lowry began. “And I watched him not give up. So that was like a great lesson that I got from him that day. He’s the greatest golfer that ever lived, he has no chance to win the Masters, he makes a 10 on a par-3, and he tries his nuts off for the next six holes.

“For me, that is one of the best lessons that I’ve ever got,” Lowry continued. “So I was like, well, nobody’s gonna feel sorry for me, nobody’s gonna come out here and give me a hug and tell me it’s okay. I just need to man up and play some good golf for the next three hours. And I did.”

Lowry’s final tally of five under par ended up five shots short of Scheffler’s winning score of 10 under.

For more from Lowry, including why he likes to keep his pre-round warm-up short, and how his devastating loss at the U.S. Open fueled his win at the Open Championship, check out the full interview below.

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