Famed golfer Shane Lowry gave fans a brutal reminder that even major champions can hit shots that belong on a weekend scramble with your buddies.
During the second round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink, the 2019 Open champion produced one of the ugliest tee shots of the tournament on the par-3 17th, a swing so shockingly bad that it immediately lit up social media with disbelief and sympathy.
Lowry stepped onto the tee needing stability after an already difficult round. Instead, he delivered a complete disaster.
The Irishman appeared to top and shank the ball simultaneously, sending a screaming line-drive darting low and hard to the right before it splashed directly into the water hazard. The shot barely left the ground, looking less like something from one of the world’s best golfers and more like a nightmare swing from a frustrated amateur trying to survive a municipal course on a windy Saturday morning.
For a moment, Lowry simply stared after it, visibly stunned by what had just happened.
Social Media Couldn’t Believe What It Saw
The reaction online was immediate.
“WTF Shane Lowry just played the worst tee shot I’ve ever seen!” one user posted on X.
Another fan wrote, “Shane Lowry just hit a shank into the water on 17. I’ve never seen anything like it. Almost a complete top.”
Perhaps the most relatable response came from another golf fan who simply declared, “Shane Lowry is one of us.”
Even veteran golf reporters sounded shocked. The Athletic’s Gabby Herzig wrote, “Shane Lowry just hit a cold top-shank into the water on No. 17. I’ve never seen anything like it.” She later added, “Well… I’ve seen it. But with a different caliber of player holding the club.”
Frustration Finally Boiled Over
The meltdown did not end with the tee shot.
After taking a drop, Lowry’s frustration finally boiled over following his third shot. As he walked toward the green, he angrily whipped the headcover from his putter back toward his Srixon staff bag in a rare public display of irritation from the usually composed veteran.
Lowry eventually escaped the hole with a double-bogey five, dropping him to two-over-par for the tournament and placing his weekend hopes in serious danger.
The disastrous finish capped off a miserable day. Starting on the back nine, Lowry played his opening nine holes in four-over-par before adding more bogeys on the fourth, seventh, and eighth holes. A birdie on the ninth briefly stopped the bleeding, but it was not enough.
Another Tough Result In A Difficult Season
He finished the second round at four-over-par, one shot outside the projected cut line at the time.
The missed cut continues a difficult stretch for Lowry this season. Through roughly half the PGA Tour campaign, he has managed only two top-10 finishes. Earlier this year at the Cognizant Classic in Florida, he looked poised for victory before collapsing late and surrendering a three-shot lead over the closing holes.
For one painful swing at Aronimink, though, none of the season-long struggles mattered. Golf fans everywhere were too busy replaying a shot that looked painfully familiar.
