Earmuffs
Shane Lowry laughing about the time he got called to the 'principal's office' for an F-bomb is peak Shane Lowry
This week the PGA Tour returns to PGA National, home of the famous (or infamous, depending on how you've played it) Bear Trap, a brutal stretch that features a pair of par 3s and a medium-sized par 4 where water lurks everywhere. "It should be won or lost right here," reads the quote from Jack Nicklaus on the plaque near the 15th tee.
That is very often the case on Cognizant Classic (formerly Honda Classic) week. It's a section of the course so difficult that it has its own eight-minute YouTube compilation of pain from over the years. Perhaps no clip is better than the one featuring Smylie Kaufman and Shane Lowry, who deposited balls into the water on the 15th back-to-back in 2016 and each had incredible reactions to to it. Kaufman snapped his 7-iron in two and Lowry dropped one of the great F-bombs in PGA Tour history:
"Ahh you f---in idiot," about 0.1 seconds after impact in that Irish accent. As perfectly-timed of an F-bomb as you'll ever see.
Lowry went on to finish 53rd that week, but has since conquered Jack's place numerous times since, finished fifth a year ago and second the year prior. He'll be back this week looking for some unfinished business. Kaufman will not be, as he's seemingly dove headfirst into the world of media, including acting as an analyst on NBC and hosting his own podcast, The Smyliie Show. The former SB2K16 legend had Lowry on as a guest this week, and the two reminisced about this moment that certainly wasn't funny when it happened but is a lot funnier eight years later.
"That was a clean break," Lowry said of Kaufman's 7-iron snap when they watched it back together. "I tried to cut a little 7-iron in there as well. I cut it alright."
They both went on to explain how they were called into the equivalent of the PGA Tour's "principal office" after the video went viral on social media:
Lowry's big belly laugh watching it back, and then saying he told the tour he couldn't promise that he wouldn't drop an F-bomb again, is peak Shane Lowry. Why lie and say "I'm so sorry, I will never curse again" knowing full well how frustrating golf can be and how cursing is part of the deal, whether the cameras or microphones are around or not. Good stuff from these two lads. We'll see if Lowry attempts to cut one in there this week.