Shane Lowry is known to wear his heart on his sleeve. And his anger too. The Offaly man doesn’t discriminate—he curses the course, the wind, the ball, the rules official, and himself in the same breath. Lowry has so far been unapologetic about his temper, but this time he might just want to say sorry to some fans at the Irish Open.

So what exactly happened? Playing at his national open, Lowry was on the 18th hole after a solid round that saw him hold onto his lead. But on the final hole, his errant drive went way left, and Lowry yelled a loud “Fore.” As the camera angle cut to the ball’s landing spot, where a small group of volunteers, spotters, and the broadcast crew stood, the hot mic picked up something really callous, allegedly said by Lowry himself: “They deserve to get hit.”

It appeared Lowry was really miffed that some people stood too close to the fairway. However, the shotmap on the DP World Tour showed his drive traveled 254 yards and landed in a narrow sandy area between two dunes, well outside of the fairway. In the footage, which you can see here, a few cars and trucks could also be seen parked right behind the dunes. Surely, very few expected a wayward drive to land there, and quite naturally, when the footage aired live, fans were outraged that Lowry said something so crude.

“Shane Lowry is one of the most unlikable players on tour. Not only does he belittle volunteers, but he also thinks patrons deserve to get hit because they are standing where his shanked tee shot went,” one fan vented.

In Lowry’s defense, however, spectators have put themselves in a position of danger too many times despite multiple warnings. At the 2026 PGA Championship, a group of fans surrounded Wyndham Clark as he attempted to hack it out of a native area. The result was disastrous.

The shot smacked off a camera as another spectator ducked in the nick of time. No one was hurt, but one spectator could’ve been badly injured. Lowry probably thought the spectators stood too close to the possible landing zone at Doonbeg. Moreover, it is also possible that the dunes blocked his view, preventing him from realizing how far off his drive was.

Nevertheless, throughout the day the Irishman rode on the home support, which is what made his off-hand remark stand out more. Even on the 18th, when Lowry saved par, the final putt drew a loud roar and applause from the Irish folks.

Lowry wasn’t asked about the particular remark, probably because it was only picked up on the broadcast, but he spoke about the home support.

“Crowds are incredible,” the 2019 Open champion said after the round. “They cheered me on the whole way home. Hopefully they’ll do the same tomorrow.”

That will depend on how fans take his rather callous remark on the 18th tee if they hear it. The Irishman walks with a four-shot lead to the final round, after carding a 65 to finish 16-under by the end of Saturday. Lowry one-putted throughout the back nine, making five birdies between the 10th and 16th.

With that being said, this is hardly the first time Lowry’s anger has landed him in hot water and also made him one of the two most colorful personalities on tour (no brownie points for guessing Tyrrell Hatton’s name correctly).

Shane Lowry and his tryst with expletives

Ironically, Lowry’s outbursts have prompted broadcasters to apologize multiple times. The Irishman’s profanity usually follows a missed putt, a wayward drive, or an unfortunate ruling. Take two similar incidents from two different major championships, for instance.

At Royal Portrush in 2025, Lowry was penalized two strokes for moving his ball during a practice swing. His club brushed off foliage. However, Lowry wasn’t too happy with the decision and muttered “F* this place” repeatedly.

Just two months before that, fans heard the same phrase from him at the 2025 PGA Championship. This time it was another rules decision that he didn’t agree with. His ball rested in another player’s pitch mark. Under the rules in effect, he didn’t get any relief—a decision that drew another expletive, including the phrase “F* this place.”

But Lowry was at his absolute best (or, absolute worst) at the 2025 Ryder Cup, when he went toe-to-toe with unhinged fans.

After getting heckled and abused throughout the day, hearing rumors about his best friend, Rory McIlroy, and also tolerating crude jokes about his weight, Lowry gave one back. On the fourth hole in the afternoon fourballs, he drained a clutch eagle putt and turned toward the heckler immediately with a loud “f*** you” that didn’t require a hot mic to pick up.

The three-time PGA Tour winner also reportedly had a fan removed from the course after a heated exchange. In fact, he was ready to fight, as one clip showed him almost going at the fan hurling abuse at Rory McIlroy.

At that time, the golf community was behind him because of how much abuse he had to tolerate. But this time, it’s a markedly different scenario.

Fans blast Shane Lowry for his crude comment

While some fans spoke about his past behavior, some focused on the latest incident. “Why has Lowry just said ‘they deserve to get hit’ to the fans patiently waiting at the crosswalk after hooking one at them??? Very odd,” one user said, while another noted, “Heard it, not surprised. He’s a piece of sh*t.”

The phrase “not surprised” is particularly revealing because it suggests the fan sees the Irish Open remark as consistent with Lowry’s previous behavior. Golfers swearing during golf rounds is nothing new, but the apparent reference to people getting hit made the comment more problematic for some fans.

Other fans were far more direct, with one simply writing, “He’s a horrible person,” while another said, “100%. The down to earth Irish man is bulls**t.”

Despite his foul language, many see him as a down-to-earth person because of his affable nature. Lowry’s willingness to be himself all the time has also garnered praise from some who believe he chooses to be authentic rather than carefully polished.

Lowry heads into the final round leading by four strokes, with runner-up Jacob Skov Olesen trailing him.