Despite playing some of the best golf of his season at the 2026 Amgen Irish Open, Shane Lowry is making headlines for the wrong reason.

Lowry arrived at the par-4 18th hole during Round 3 in total control. All he needed was one clean hole to protect a commanding lead he built through the tournament. Instead, his shot sailed left directly toward some volunteers, and spectators gathered near the ropes by the crosswalk.

His caddie, Dermot Byrne, immediately called out "Fore! Fore!" to warn the group. But as the ball hurtled toward the gallery, an on-course microphone clearly picked up Lowry saying, "They deserve to get hit."

Popular Irish sports outlet Balls.ie shared the clip on X, noting:

"Shane Lowry will want this one back, for a few different reasons."

Thankfully, nobody was struck. The ball bounced safely, and Lowry managed to catch a generous lie in the rough. From there, he scrambled brilliantly to save par and sign for a 5-under 65.

The score pushed him to 16-under par for the tournament, giving him a four-shot cushion over Denmark's Jacob Skov Olesen heading into Sunday.

Yet, as soon as the broadcast went public, fans started talking more about Lowry's remark than his outstanding play.

While the remark was shocking from the home favourite, it was not the first time Lowry found himself in hot water over his remarks.

Lowry has never been shy about showing his frustration

Lowry is an emotional player. He celebrates loudly when things go right, and he can be just as open when things go wrong.

At the 2025 PGA Championship, he found his ball sitting in someone else's pitch mark on the eighth hole at Quail Hollow.

The rules did not allow him free relief because it was not his own pitch mark. Lowry then hit his approach into a bunker and reacted with an expletive-filled outburst, including “F— this place.”

He later explained that he was angry because an ESPN reporter had stepped into the discussion with the rules official while he was trying to work out whether he could get relief

Another hot-mic moment happened at the 2025 Open Championship. At Royal Portrush, the course where Lowry won his major title in 2019, he lost a tee shot on the 11th hole and was heard saying, “F— off!” before adding, “F— this place!”

The same tournament also gave Lowry another reason to be frustrated.

A close camera replay showed his ball moving during a practice swing on the 12th hole on Friday. The R&A later gave him a two-stroke penalty because the ball had moved. Lowry, however, accepted the ruling.

Then came the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, where the hostility wasn't coming from Lowry, but from the crowd.

Playing alongside close friend Rory McIlroy in a rowdy Saturday fourball session, Lowry found himself restrained by his caddie, Darren Reynolds, as he moved to confront a spectator heckling McIlroy.

Multiple fans were ejected from the grounds that week for abusive behavior directed at both players.

Written by

Md Saife Fida