Lowry Left 'gutted' By Royal Portrush Return

Former champion Shane Lowry said his Open Championship astatine Royal Portrush has been "hard to take" aft a shooting 3 complete successful his 3rd information connected Saturday.

The world number 18, who lifted nan Claret Jug erstwhile nan title was past staged astatine nan Northern Irish links successful 2019, was assessed a two-stroke penalty aft his 2nd information connected Friday and returned to nan people nan adjacent time suffering from a virus.

"To beryllium honest, I'm gutted," said nan Irishman.

"I wanted to do good truthful severely coming and this week. I put truthful overmuch into this week that, yeah, it's difficult to take.

"The annoying point for maine coming is I didn't get to bask coming arsenic overmuch arsenic I would person liked - Saturday astatine The Open successful your location country, I should bask it a batch much than I did, conscionable because of really I felt."

Lowry, who said he "was not excessively keen" to talk nan punishment incident for a 2nd time, birdied nan 13th connected Saturday to get backmost to level par for nan title but followed that pinch a quadruple bogey connected nan adjacent spread and dropped a further changeable astatine nan 17th.

He said his unwellness contributed to a "lack of energy" successful nan closing agelong of holes.

"Honestly, each bath I went successful and tried to propulsion up, I couldn't," he added.

"It's conscionable specified a bad feeling. I deliberation deficiency of power towards nan extremity possibly did maine in.

"Look, I don't want to make excuses. It is what it is. It's conscionable really bad timing, obviously."