"To be honest, I'm gutted" - Lowry battles stomach virus but admits rules blow hit hard

hane Lowry of Ireland speaks to the media during a press conference prior to The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 14, 2025 in Portrush, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Oisin Keniry/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)

Shane Lowry's miserable week at The Open continued when he failed to shake off the effects of a stomach virus and carded a three-over 74 to slip back amongst the also-rans at Royal Portrush.

Just nine hours after being handed a harsh two-stroke penalty when he didn't notice he'd caused his ball to move when making a practice swing at the 12th and fell ten shots off the lead, the Offaly man was the latest family member to suffer the effects of a virus and it dashed his hopes of a Saturday charge.

"I haven't eaten today yet," said Lowry, who admitted he was still "gutted" over the two-stroke penalty that turned a 70 into a 72.

"I tried to get a protein drink down me after eight holes and felt like throwing up all over the place. So yeah, it's been a tough, tough day, but I'm not going to make excuses."

He had little appetite either to re-hash the rules incident bar confirm that his peers had been sympathetic to his cause.

"Yeah, it was hard," he said of his mood overnight.

"It was hard to take everything. Home late, and obviously you've got to dust yourself off, and then I wake up at 2:30 am with cramps in my stomach.

"We had it in the house a couple of days ago. Wendy had it yesterday; me and Iris have it today.”

Grinning, he joked: "Going on holidays next week, so at least that's a plus."

Lowry tried to put a brave face on things, but after making a big effort to produce another big performance at the scene of his 2019 win, it was impossible to hide the disappointment.

"To be honest, I'm gutted," he said. "I wanted to do well so badly today and this week and I put so much into this week that yeah, it's hard to take.

"I feel like I really could have been there or thereabouts, but that's golf. It doesn't always go your way.

"The annoying thing for me today is I didn't get to enjoy today as much as I would have liked.

"Saturday at The Open in your home country, you should enjoy it a lot more than I did.

"Hopefully I'll get out tomorrow morning and try and enjoy it as best I can, try and shoot a good score before the [FedEx Cup] playoffs and then for me,  my big mindset for the next few months is about the Ryder Cup and. trying to win that.

"So that's where all my work is going to go towards over the next month."

As for the reaction of fellow players, he said: "I'm not too keen to talk on it too much. I think I said enough about it last night. But yes, they were quite supportive, I would say, the other players.

"I think they all just feel bad for me. Two shots is a lot to give up. I don't really have much else to say."

Lowry needed a good start to get back the shots he lost on Friday, but bogeyed the par-five second after finding a bush with his second and taking a penalty drop.

Missed birdie chances from eight feet at the fourth and seven feet at the long seventh were not as painful as the cramps.

But after making a 25-footer for par at the ninth, a 15-footer for birdie at the 10th and a 13-footer for another birdie at the short 13th to go one-under for the tournament, he made a triple bogey seven after a taking penalty drop in deep rough at the 14th and dropped another shot at the 17th as his energy flagged.

"Honestly, every bathroom I got to, I went in and I tried to throw up and I couldn't," he said.
"It's just such a bad feeling. I felt like I dealt with it well, but I think a lack of energy towards the end, maybe caught up with me.

"I don't want to make excuses. You know, it is what it is. It's just really bad timing, obviously.

"I was hoping to shoot one under, and I got to that after 13, and I knew 14 was playing hard today, and if I could make par  there, that I could shoot that score, but I had a disaster on 14, and a bad break, and it is what it  is."