It was supposed to be a special return to Royal Portrush for the 2019 Open champion, but it has been anything but.

Former champion Shane Lowry says his Open Championship at Royal Portrush has been "hard to take" after a shooting three over in his third round on Saturday.

What caused Shane Lowrys two-shot penalty during the second round at The Open? Why was he punished at Royal Portrush and how has golf reacted? Key questions around one of the biggest storylines of the

Lowry didn’t want to make excuses, but Saturday was brutal as he shot 74 while battling a virus at the Open Championship.

Shane Lowry unleashing F-bomb rants during golf tournaments is certainly nothing new. He did it at this year's PGA Championship. He did it at last year's British Open. He, well, you get the point. But what happened on Friday was still a bit shocking from the Irishman.

Shane Lowrys hopes of another major victory at Royal Portrush suffered a significant setback after he was handed a two-shot penalty at the end of his second round at The Open.

A mural of Shane Lowry holding aloft the claret jug adorns the side wall of a house just across the road from Royal Portrush.