Shane Lowry ended his four-year winless streak after winning the 2026 Irish Open, but an uncomfortable incident from the previous day followed him into his moment of triumph. On Saturday, Lowry sparked backlash on the 18th with his “they deserve to get hit” comment. The Irishman finally addressed at the post-tournament press conference what led to the disrespectful outburst after he’d wrapped up a dominant Sunday victory at Doonbeg.

“18, yesterday, it’s funny, right, because marshals obviously have a very tough job and they are volunteers, but they get a little bit in the way at times, I feel like, and 18 was just two guys going across the fairway as I’m trying to hit the shot and it’s playing really hard. There’s another guy walking — but any ways, you have to do a little bit yourself. But it was carnage out there.  

“I hit a tee shot 50 yards left out-of-bounds and for the rest of the week, that’s all I could think about on that tee. It was quite an anxious tee box for me. And even today, I had a 10-shot lead, and I was like, I just can’t wait to get this tee shot over and done with. But yeah, it was like — it was mad.”

Looking back at the incident, Lowry described the entire week as “mad.” He said he and his caddie were laughing about it and would probably look back on the experience years later and see how unusual it was.

The incident happened during Saturday’s third round at Trump International Golf Links. Lowry was playing the par-4 18th while holding a big lead. His tee shot went sharply left toward a crossing area where volunteers and spectators were standing near the ropes. His caddie, Dermot Byrne, quickly shouted, “Fore! Fore!” to warn them, but they did not move in time. As the ball headed toward the group, an on-course microphone picked up Lowry saying, “They deserve to get hit.” Luckily, nobody got hit, and the ball came to rest in a favorable spot in the rough. The live broadcast caught Lowry’s comment, though, and it quickly spread online.

Golf fans on social media criticized Lowry for appearing to insult the volunteers and spectators at his home national open. One fan called the comment “scandalous” and said Lowry should be fined. Another said the fans deserved an apology, while a third called the remark “disgusting.” The criticism came as Lowry was also playing some of the best golf of his season. He had a four-shot lead over Jacob Skov Olesen going into the weekend after rounds of 67, 62 and 65.

By Sunday, Lowry had turned that lead into a monumental victory. He won the Irish Open by 11 shots for his second title at the event. His first came 17 years earlier in 2009, when he won as a 22-year-old amateur after beating Robert Rock in a playoff.

He also pointed to the unusual atmosphere around the tournament, with President Trump at the event, enormous crowds, and strong home support behind him.

“The President of the United States on first tee and the crowds, and it was an amazing day. The sun was out. Like I was holing putts. The crowds are going bananas,” he added.

Lowry also praised Jacob Skov Olesen, who finished second. He said the young Dane had faced a tough environment but handled himself well.

“Jacob, I’m sure it was a tough environment for him to play golf in, but he’s young and he’ll learn from that hopefully. He’s a proper player. I was very impressed with him yesterday. It was all a bit mad,” Lowry said.

Lowry has had other hot-mic moments in the past. He swore during the 2025 PGA Championship after a ruling dispute and again at the 2025 Open Championship after losing a tee shot at Royal Portrush. This latest incident, however, attracted different criticism because his comment appeared to be targeting people near the course.

In the end, Lowry’s second Irish Open title came during a week full of unusual moments.