Lowry's sulk over talk about his mate is understandable but silence is not golden for golf

Whatever else Shane Lowry was in the mood to do as he walked off the 18th green on Saturday evening, it sure wasn't to talk to the media about his round, let alone Rory McIlroy's.

- Ewan Murray

Lowry was two under for his round, and seven under for the tournament before he dropped one stroke at the 17th, where he missed a three-foot putt, and another at the 18th, where he had to play out of the greenside bunker.

"I felt like I let a really good day go there at the end, so I'm obviously disappointed," Lowry began. "But just have to pick myself up and get some rest tonight and get after it tomorrow." And if he had left it there, with a smattering of usual platitudes, nothing would have come of it.

But then Lowry was asked if he had been "looking back at Rory at all" and he let fly. "No. No, I'm not going to stand here and talk about Rory for 10 minutes. I'm trying to win the tournament, as well.

I know that's what y'all want me to talk about, but I've just had a shit finish." It was a fair question.

Everyone had seen Lowry looking back at McIlroy during the round, and the two of them are, of course, great mates.