PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland – Shane Lowry was assessed a two-stroke penalty for accidentally causing his ball to move and failing to replace it to its original position on the 12th hole of his second round at The Open Championship

After hitting his tee shot in the rough, television cameras caught the moment Lowry took a practice swing before addressing his second shot, which the R&A determined caused Lowry’s ball to move.

Lowry was unaware that his ball had moved, proceeded to play the shot and ultimately made par. It wasn’t until the 15th hole that an R&A rules official notified Lowry of the potential infraction. The official waited to assess the penalty until after the round, when Lowry could review the footage and speak to the situation. After a lengthy review, the R&A determined Lowry did cause the ball to move.

Lowry was assessed a one-stroke penalty for causing the ball to move and a one-stroke penalty for failing to replace the ball to its initial position. The Irishman’s score was changed from 70 to 72 and moved him from 2-under to even-par for the tournament.

“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,” Lowry continued. “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. 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,” Lowry added.

Scottie Scheffler, playing in the same grouping as Lowry, also watched the footage after the round and said, “It was very difficult to see if the ball was moving.”

“Ultimately in golf it's up to the player, and I felt like Shane was put in a pretty tough situation there when they were zooming in on his golf ball. In the rough it's hard to tell,” Scheffler said.

The penalty turned Lowry’s par into a double bogey and moved Lowry from the fringes of contention to on the cutline. Given the circumstances, Lowry made an impressive birdie on the 15th, then finished with three pars to remain even-par for the championship.

It’s a sour note on what had been a joyous homecoming celebration for Lowry, who won The Open at Royal Portrush in 2019. Lowry felt he played “really, really well” Friday and held it together even after the penalty was brought to light.

“I played great on the way in, hit some nice shots," he said. "Left it on the lip on 16 and 18, missed a good chance on 17, so it could have been different. But yeah, look, it's a disappointing thing to happen to me, but that's golf. Onwards and upwards and give it a run this weekend.”

Lowry said the ruling felt “a little bit” unfair, but he was quick to own the penalty.

“If the ball moved and I caused it to move and it moved, it's a two-shot penalty,” he said. “The last thing I want to do is sit there and argue and not take the penalty and then get slaughtered all over social media tonight for being a cheat.”