A US Open oops for Lowry, who gets a penalty after picking up his ball but forgetting to mark

OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — Shane Lowry had spent 32 holes being battered by Oakmont Country Club.

Then he made a mistake that couldn't be blamed on the course.

“Probably one of the stupidest things I've ever done,” he said.

Lowry was penalized a stroke Friday at the U.S. Open after he picked up his ball on the 14th green without marking it. The penalty stroke gave him a double bogey on the hole on his way to finishing at 17 over par for the tournament.

“I picked the ball up, had the ball in my hand, turned around to Darren (Reynolds, his caddie),” Lowry said. “He basically said to me, ‘What are you doing?’”

If nothing else, the gaffe gave Lowry something to laugh about during — and after — an otherwise miserable round. He shot 79 in the first round, even after holing out from 160 yards for an eagle on the par-4 third. He was one stroke better Friday.

Under Rule 14.1, it’s a one-stroke penalty for lifting the ball before first marking the spot. After realizing what he'd done, he and his playing partners, Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose, laughed, then Lowry asked a rules official what to do.

“Just put it back where it was?” he said. 

He did, then barely missed a 55-footer that would have been for bogey, including the penalty.

Lowry played in the final group the last time the U.S. Open was at Oakmont in 2016. This time, he was already well on his way to missing the cut, which may have explained his carelessness on 14.

“I put it back down and marked it, and played on. I knew I was going to get penalized. I didn’t know whether it was going to be one or two,” Lowry said. “Maybe my mind was somewhere else.”

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