Shane Lowry didn’t want to make excuses, but Saturday was brutal.
The Irishman battled through a virus at The Open, arriving back at his accommodations after his round and trying his best to dust himself off. Unfortunately, he was jolted awake at 2:30 in the morning with a cramping stomach. The bug that had been making its way through Lowry’s family had finally caught up to him.
Not playing was never an option. Lowry spent much of the morning at Royal Portrush stopping at bathroom after bathroom, desperately trying to throw up but finding no relief.
“It’s such a bad feeling,” Lowry said afterward. “I haven’t eaten today yet. I tried to get a protein drink down me after eight holes, and I felt like throwing up all over the place. Yeah, it’s been a tough day, but I’m not going to make excuses. I played poorly today and obviously had a bad finish.”
Lowry was actually 1 under after 13 holes before disaster struck with a triple bogey at the par-4 14th. He’d then struggle in for a 3-over 74 and now sits ahead of just six players entering Sunday’s final round.
He has one more day at Portrush, but his chances of repeating his Open victory here are effectively over.
“The annoying thing for me today is I didn’t get to enjoy today as much as I would have liked,” Lowry added. “Saturday at The Open in your home country, I should enjoy it a lot more than I did…”
“I wanted to do well so badly today and this week. I put so much into this week that, yeah, it’s hard to take.”
