What other tour players really think of Shane Lowry after his comments at the Irish Open, ‘that’s completely false’

David Howell has insisted that those who believe that Shane Lowry is not incredibly popular behind the scenes on tour are completely wrong following a controversial incident at the Irish Open this past week.

Lowry dominated the headlines at Doonbeg, with much of the focus on his scintillating performance to win the event for a second time. A birdie on the 72nd hole meant that the 39-year-old won by 11 shots to secure his first individual victory on either the PGA Tour or DP World Tour in four years.

However, Lowry did not escape criticism during the Irish Open.

Fans hit out at Lowry after he commented that a group of volunteers deserved to get hit by his wayward drive on the 18th hole during the third round. Lowry did make sure to shout fore several times as the ball headed in their direction. However, he followed that with an unnecessary comment.

David Howell defends Shane Lowry over Irish Open controversy

Lowry tried to explain himself after his victory, but there is no question that it was a poor look from the 2019 Open Championship winner. And it has seemingly played into the hands of those who are not huge fans of the Irishman.

Lowry is an emotional figure who can lose his cool at times. But speaking on the Sky Sports Golf Podcast about the incident, David Howell explained why he is willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

“I wasn’t going to mention it. I saw one tweet that came my way and said, ‘what did you make of that?’, and I stayed away, so I’m glad you brought it up,” he said.

“We all say things that we regret, and that you wouldn’t want someone to hear, and it’s just stupid, daft stuff. I say stuff every day, if it was filmed, people would say, ‘goodness me, Howell’s not a very nice fella’. Shane’s a lovely guy. Actually, he has made some comments, the 18th tee was a very stressful tee shot for him because he’d hit one out of bounds in the pro-am. The golfing public, they think golfers are immune to this type of negative thoughts. That would have stayed with him all week.

“There was a lot of chaos around. The marshals do a wonderful job, and the players en masse are so thankful for the job they do. Sometimes, they’re volunteers, they don’t get things right. Of course he wishes he hadn’t said it, and he wasn’t hoping for anyone to get hurt. He’s got his spikes on and he’s just angry at himself for the shot he’s hit. He’s almost cussing himself and he’s found the wrong way to do it.

“It wasn’t very nice. A bit of the stuff on social media was saying well, it’s not the first time, he’s not quite as nice as everybody thinks he is. That’s completely false. Shane is top drawer, lovely guy, popular on tour for all the right reasons amongst the caddies and the players. He’s a lovely chap with his feet firmly on the ground. It was a moment that we’ll move on from. He won’t say it again, but what can you say? The wrong words came out because he just hit another terrible drive. He’s worried about hitting it out of bounds.”

Shane Lowry’s mistake should not overshadow an incredible performance at the Irish Open

It was a poor look from Lowry. Had one of those spectators been hit and got injured, he would have rightly received even more criticism – and he did not exactly have any control over whether anyone got hurt.

However, as Howell suggests, it should not overshadow what was a phenomenal performance from Lowry at his home event. He seemed to be playing on a completely different course to the large majority of the field and won at a canter.

Lowry is someone who is not afraid to display his emotions out on the course. That helps make him one of the most interesting characters in the game, and that should be embraced.

That is not to say that he does not deserve criticism when he does make mistakes, but there is no question that both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour are better for having Shane Lowry on them.