2025 British Open day 3: live scores and updates from Royal Portrush

Officials have come down hard on fan favourite Shane Lowry over an eventful day at Royal Portrush. Follow all the live action on moving day inside.

Fan favourite Shane Lowry was sensationally penalised two strokes after officials ruled his ball moved after a practice swing on a wild day for the former Open champion, who also cursed at Royal Portrush, the scene of his only major win.

A deflated Lowry spent about 20 minutes poring over vision of him addressing his ball from thick rough on the 12th hole, with one camera appearing to show it slightly moving after he took a practice swing on Saturday morning (AEST).

He was told he would be assessed a two-shot penalty, which plunged him back to even-par for the tournament – 10 strokes behind world No.1 Scottie Scheffler.

“I was in there with the rules official and wasn’t arguing my case, but I’m disappointed that they don’t have more camera angles on it,” Lowry told media after the second round.

“They’re trying to tell me if it doesn’t move from the naked eye, if you don’t see it moving, it didn’t move. I told them I definitely was looking down towards the ball as I was taking that practice swing, and I didn’t see it move.

Shane Lowry's ball moved in his practice swing, earning him a two-shot penalty.

“I’m still not sure, to be honest, whether it was (moving) or not. But I had to take the penalty because I can’t have my name talked about or tossed around like that.

“The last thing I want to do is sit there and argue and not take the penalty and then get slaughtered all over social media tonight for being a cheat.”

Lowry was first alerted to the potential infraction by a rules official on the 15th hole and was asked to examine the incident post round with playing partners Scheffler and Collin Morikawa (+7).

The ruling has given Lowry a mountain to climb after an otherwise solid day in which he signed for two birdies and a bogey, adding to the double bogey he accepted on the 12th.

Shane Lowry was sensationally penalised two strokes during the second round of the Open. Picture: Getty

Asked about the Lowry incident, Scheffler said: “Ultimately in golf it’s up to the player, and I felt like Shane was put in a pretty tough situation there when they were zooming in on his golf ball. In the rough, it’s hard to tell.

“From what I looked at very briefly on the video, it looked like it was very difficult to see if the ball moved.”

Said Lowry: “If the ball moved, I would have called it on myself. My head was definitely looking down at the ball and I didn’t see it moving. But I’m out there signing for a 72 now.”

It wasn’t the only contentious moment of Lowry’s round, with a hot mic picking him up saying “f--- this place” after a wayward drive.

Lowry was feted for his remarkable win in The Open six years ago when the tournament returned to Northern Ireland, and he even has a large mural painted of him on the side of a house in Portrush.

Originally published as 2025 British Open day 3: live scores and updates from Royal Portrush