Shane Lowry slapped with Open penalty after rule breach and slams officials

Sickened Shane Lowry reluctantly accepted a two-shot penalty at the Open because he did not want to be called "a cheat". The defending champion was ruled to have moved his ball during a practice swing on the 12th hole. The Irishman did not call the infringement on himself but was slapped with the penalty after a video review following his round.

Asked if he felt the ruling was unfair, Lowry said: "A little bit. If the ball moved and I caused it to move and it moved, it's a two-shot penalty. 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.

"I think they had their decision made (before he reviewed the video). 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 there now."

The penalty saw Lowry card a 72 instead of a 70 and fall to level par for the tournament.

Lowry was also hit with a one-shot penalty at the US Open last month when he picked up his ball during his second round before marking it.

With players on one-over par making the cut, former champions Cameron Smith, Collin Morikawa, Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke will not play the weekend.

Lowry's tee shot on the par-5 12th hole during Friday's second round found the thick rough as drizzle fell on Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. As Lowry prepared to take his second shot, the ball moved as a result of his practice swing.

He was informed that the incident would be investigated by rules officials, as he did not see and initially declare the foul, with the R&A officially handing out a two-shot punishment.

The penalty leaves Lowry on level-par, one shot above the cut, though the home star dropped from tied for 17th to tied for 34th.

While Scottie Scheffler, who carded his lowest ever score at a Major, said: "I felt like I did a lot of things well. I felt like I hit a few more fairways than I did yesterday, hit some really nice iron shots, and was able to hole some putts. I am proud of the number I was able to post."

The overnight leader claimed that Lowry had been put in a "pretty tough situation" but "ultimately in golf it's up to the player".

The American added: "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 was moving. It was a very tough spot for Shane to be put in. He handled it really well. It's obviously very frustrating."