Why Shane Lowry (and others) are wrong about needing a 'cool off' period

It didn't get similar attention as Collin Morikawa's supposed blowing off of the media at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, but Shane Lowry's ducking of the media following a tough finish on Sunday at the Truist Championship may have been an even worse look. Why? Because Lowry, unlike Morikawa (according to Morikawa), was asked to do interviews, and he declined.

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Of course, that's Lowry's right, something his buddy Rory McIlroy pointed out during Masters week. Professional golfers are not obligated to speak to the media like athletes in other sports are. There are no fines for politely saying "thanks, but no thanks."

Had Lowry won, there's no question he would have answered every question and been in front of every camera known to man. And that would have been without a "cool off" period like he described during this A+ rant in April at Augusta National. Had Lowry been given the "cool off" period he desired on Sunday in Philadelphia, would he have spoken afterward or still declined? Hard to say. 

The question is, is Lowry right that professional golfers deserve time to cool off before getting a microphone shoved in their face? Or is that when some of the best interviews take place? It's hard not to lean toward the latter after watching Joel Dahmen deliver one of the post-round interviews of the year following a heartbreaking finish at the Corales Puntacana Championship last month. 

We had a fun discussion on this topic on this week's episode of The Loop podcast, in addition to a debate about Northeastern golf, the PGA Championship's move to May and whether or not Quail Hollow is a worthy enough course for a major championship. Plus, we interviewed SiriusXM's Taylor Zarzour, a Quail Hollow member who will be on the call this week at the PGA. Please, have a listen below, and like and subscribe to The Loop wherever you get your podcasts.