Shane Lowry had to take quick action during a surprising moment at the Irish Open.
Shane Lowry had to make a smart move to avoid some potential drama while leading the Irish Open.
On Thursday, many top golfers arrived at the Trump International Golf Links & Hotel in Doonbeg for the Irish Open, held from September 10-13.
After finishing his second round with an amazing eight birdies, Ireland’s own Lowry is in the lead. His quick thinking on the 10th hole helped him avoid a possible penalty that could have hurt his chances.
Back in 2009, Lowry achieved every Irish golfer’s dream by winning his home tournament in County Louth. Now, 17 years later, the 39-year-old might do it again, having finished his second round 11 shots under par. That puts him three shots ahead of Li Haotong and Jacob Skov Olesen at the moment.
In the first round, Lowry scored three-under on the par-70 course, starting strong and then making the most of it on Friday.
When he reached the 10th hole, Lowry was six-under for the front nine, bringing him to nine-under overall. But despite hitting a great drive on the par-5 hole, he ran into trouble with his next shot.
His ball landed in some thick, wet grass just right of the green. Even with a big swing, the ball only moved forward to a spot on a sloping hill — then started rolling back toward him.
Lowry quickly stepped aside to avoid the ball rolling over his feet. This quick move stopped what could have been a penalty.
If the ball had touched him, he might have gotten two penalty strokes under Rule 11.2, which forbids deliberately touching or stopping the ball. However, Rule 11.1a says there’s no penalty if the ball accidentally hits a player. So depending on how officials saw it, Lowry could have been safe anyway.
Either way, the last thing Lowry wanted was a rules debate with the weekend and the lead ahead.
Luckily, no penalty happened. Lowry saved par on that hole, then snagged birdies on the 11th, 12th, and 15th holes, finishing with pars on the last three. His 62 set a new course record!
Lowry is likely to lead the Irish Open when US President Donald Trump arrives at the course on Saturday afternoon. Trump, who owns the host venue, will fly into Shannon Airport after meeting with Ireland’s President Catherine Connolly and Prime Minister Micheál Martin earlier in the day. He will leave Ireland Sunday evening after the tournament ends.
Trump’s visit is expected to cause big disruptions for fans. The Irish police called it one of the biggest security operations they’ve ever handled.
Northern Irish golf star Rory McIlroy spoke to BBC Sport about Trump’s arrival: “He’s a big fan of golf and a strong supporter. It’ll be different with him here, but we’re here to play golf on a great course. We’ll keep focused.
“I think crowd sizes will be limited while he’s here. There will be some logistical challenges, but if he wants to watch the Irish Open, who are we to say no?”
McIlroy is currently tied for 21st place with a score of two-under-par.