Shane Lowry captured in tirade aimed at Ryder Cup golf marshall

Shane Lowry lost his composure and had a fiery exchange with an on-course marshall during the Ryder Cup.

As the matchplay competition was reaching its critical stages, the pressure was mounting on Lowry, who needed to secure at least a tie in his match against American Jordan Spieth. While attempting a challenging chip shot on the 15th hole at Marco Simone Golf Club, a marshall instructed the crowd to remain still and not move. 

The marshall’s guidance seemed to disrupt Shane Lowry’s concentration as the 2019 Open champion can be heard and seen on video turning to the marshall and saying, “You’re making more f****** noise than anyone else. Jesus.”

Lowry ultimately secured half a point in his singles match against Jordan Spieth. His match was the final one to conclude, with Tommy Fleetwood in the second-to-last match of the day already having secured the crucial point that contributed to Europe’s victory.

The Team Europe member and friend to Rory McIlroy played a vital dual role, serving as both a player and supporter of his team during the event. He contributed 1 1/2 points from three matches while leading the passionate home crowd in Rome with their resounding support.

One of the most discussed moments of the tournament involved Lowry and McIlroy, and occurred between Patrick Cantlay’s impressive shot and McIlroy’s subsequent miss on Saturday During this interlude, a dispute emerged between Cantlay’s caddie, Joe LaCava. Lowry was observing the match from the sidelines alongside the rest of the European team.

While the American team celebrated Cantlay’s successful putt, with many of them enthusiastically waving their hats in the air, the NBC broadcast was interrupted by on-course reporter John Wood. He intervened to report the escalating shouting match unfolding down on the green.

“Guys, it’s getting uglier out here. Shane Lowry and Joe LaCava were screaming at each other,” Wood said on the broadcast. “Shane was on the back of the green. Joe started shouting something, and Shane started shouting something back. I don’t know what it was, but it wasn’t ‘Hi, how are you doing?’ Getting pretty chippy.”

After the shouting match on the green had subsided, McIlroy missed his putt, resulting in a win for the American team. Following this crucial moment, the broadcast turned to Steve Sands, also stationed near the green. Sands provided additional context and details regarding the earlier exchange that had taken place during the match.

“Rory McIlroy took issue with [LaCava] waving the hat before he had to make his putt there,” Sands reported. “And then when he turned around, Shane Lowry gave Joe a little bit of lip, and Joe gave it right back to Shane. So, this thing is getting heated out here at the 18th.”

Lowry played a role in diffusing the situation, guiding McIlroy away from the conflict. McIlroy had confronted Team USA caddie Jim “Bones” Mackay in the parking lot after the round following the incident on the 18th hole.