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Irish golfer Shane Lowry expressed his disappointment with some tee box placements during the third round of the 2024 Open Championship after lashing out at a fan during the match. After leading following the first two rounds, he shot a 77 on Saturday, slipping down eight positions to ninth place on the leaderboard.
Following the third round, Lowry spoke to the media, voicing his issues with some tee box placements. He was particularly disappointed with the concluding holes at Royal Troon and was critical of their design.
Speaking of the holes, Lowry said (via Nuclr Golf's X account):
"Wasn't much fun, you know. Driver, driver into 15. 16 playing, Ridiculously long. Driver into 17, and then suddenly 18th tee wondering. If you can actually hit the fairway. If you can reach the fairway, it is 230 yards to the fairway.
"You'd have to question why there weren't a couple of tees pulled forward. Today, to be honest, you know, I think 15, and 17, like 15, like 500 yards playing into that wind, it's, you know, yeah. They keep trying to make holes longer. The best hole in this course is a hundred yards. So yeah," he added.
Notably, Shane Lowry struggled with his game on the concluding four holes of the third round. He shot three bogeys on the last five holes.
The par-4 15th hole was 502 yards long, and he ended up making a bogey on it. The 16th hole was 572 yards, while the final 18th was 458 yards. He scored +6 with five bogeys, a double bogey, and a birdie to finish with a 77, securing ninth place on the leaderboard.
Shane Lowry's frustration boils over in fan confrontation at The Open 2024
Shane Lowry had a heated exchange with a fan during the third round of The Open Championship. On Saturday, while taking his shot, his ball hit a spectator inside the ropes.
In the heated exchange, the Irishman shouted at the spectators, telling them not to stand where players were trying to hit their balls. He said (via No Laying Up on X):
"In the future, don't stand in the middle of the fuc*ing fairway when we're trying to hit, OK?"
Shane Lowry was impressive in the first two rounds of the Major. He shot a 66 to kickstart the event and played another round of 69 on Friday to take the lead.
However, in the third round, he only made a single birdie on the front nine. He shot a double bogey on the eighth and had consecutive bogeys on the 11th and 12th, followed by additional bogeys on the 14th and 15th. He concluded the day with a disappointing bogey on the 18th to score a 6-over 77.
Billy Horschel took the lead after the third round with a score of -4.
