At this stage, we all know what to expect with Shane Lowry. There’s no need to apologise about the odd coarse word.
Shane Lowry was not the only of the afternoon starters that struggled to get it going in their opening US PGA round at Southern Hills Country Club. The wind picked up after a relatively calm morning, in Oklahoma, and scoring got tougher.
The 2019 Open champion is tied for 27th after his opening day at the second major of 2022. On a day when many top players may have shot themselves out of contention, though, Lowry never ran too hot or, crucially, too cold.
The Clara native went out and came back in 35 to card and even par 70 in his opening gambit. He never climbed above that mark but his three birdies came not too long after his three bogeys. He was always there or thereabouts.
Ahead of his 12th PGA tournament, Lowry had spoken about how someone always goes low on the Thursday at a major, no matter how easy or tough a course is set up. Lowry felt his game was in good shape and stressed how the aim was to be within touching distance of the lead, and in the mix, heading into the weekend.
Many Irish viewers of Sky Sports were frustrated, having been glued to Rory McIlroy card a tournament-leading 65, earlier in the day, that there was little coverage of Lowry and Seamus Power as they went about their rounds. For the most part, though, Sky takes its feed from host the broadcaster, in this circumstance, ESPN.
When cameras did a live check in with Lowry, on the 14th tee, the microphones picked up some blue language. Unhappy with his approach to the par three 14th hole, Lowry proclaimed, “Oh my f***ing God!”
Shane Lowry is a little bit of all of us 😂😂😂 #PGA #shanelowry pic.twitter.com/riDERXgGa4
— Lockie (@LufcLockie) May 19, 2022
No need to apologise
Shane Lowry would go on to bogey that hole, slipping back to +1, but finished on a brighter note as he got a birdie on the 17th and finished level par.
Sky commentators would apologise for the ‘choice language’ from Lowry, but golf fans will know, full well, that Lowry is liable to let rip if he is unhappy with a shot. It was also close to 11pm for viewers in the UK and Ireland, so well past any watersheds.
There were other moments, on the first day’s coverage, were golfers such as Scottie Scheffler and Tyrrell Hatton uttered expletives, and there were no apologies but, in fairness, Lowry’s exclamation was hard to miss.
I love watching Shane Lowry! He doesn’t give a toss about the whole no cursing thing and he makes it all realistic! 😄 Must drive the commentators nuts having to apologise all the time! Don’t apologise lads! Let it run free! It’s exactly what the rest of us would say! 😄#pga
— MJGolfGuides (@MJGolfGuides) May 19, 2022
https://twitter.com/OllieButton1/status/1527405156433895428
Good ol’ reliable Shane Lowry, always good for an “apologies if you’ve picked up any choice language at home”. #PGAChamp
— The Member’s Bounce (@MembersBounce1) May 19, 2022
Interestingly, multiple women’s major champion Laura Davies did note, during the round of Shane Lowry, how the Offaly man can get irritated if things are not going his way, and get in his head about it.
We have seen this, of late, as a bad shot or two over a short stretch often leaves Lowry rattled and struggling to keep his composure.
As it all played out, in tough, windy afternoon conditions, Lowry’s round of 70 certainly keeps him in contention. If he can card in the mid to high 60s today, he should definitely be in the weekend mix.
Elsewhere, Seamus Power is tied for 38th after shooting 71, while former PGA champion Padraig Harrington is well down the leaderboard after an opening 77. Tiger Woods (+4), Adam Scott (+7), Brooks Koepka (+5) and Jon Rahm (+3) all struggled.
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