Shane Lowry had an unlucky moment during The Open Championship. While attempting to take a practice swing, Lowry was unable to keep his club away from the golf ball, and the ball moved slightly. As a result, Lowry received a two-stroke penalty, and Paul McGinley has now given his opinion on the matter.The former Team Europe Ryder Cup captain was on Sky Sports Golf, where he explained how the incident was unfortunate. There were long roughs, wind, rain, and a variety of other factors that may have caused the ball to move slightly.Lowry may not have noticed it, but this incident is on the borderline, and if it were given a pass, other golfers may have taken advantage of it."I can only see it with slow motion, slowing it down. I watched that live, and I didn't notice anything, and I'm sure Shane didn't notice anything. Well, he obviously didn't. So, it's technically, it's the rule, and the R&A had to apply it because it was proven in slow motion, but it's difficult and it's very harsh," Paul McGinley said."You know, it's an outdoor sport, you got long grasses, you got wind, you got weather conditions, you got rain yesterday, you know, and there's got to be a little bit of leeway, but I understand what the R&A did. I'm not being critical of them, but I think the rule needs a little bit more of a leeway, but it's such a fine line because if you give a little bit of a leeway, somebody could take advantage too much. So, it's a fine line."In terms of Shane Lowry's tournament performance, he has dropped significantly on the leaderboard since his penalty. He finished his second round in the tournament with a total score of 1-over par.Following this, Lowry had a poor third round, finishing with a total score of 3-over par and dropping 39 places on the leaderboard. As of this writing, he is tied for 63rd place.While talking about Shane Lowry's incident, Paul McGinley added that golfers are their own refereesShane Lowry: The 153rd Open - Second Round - Source: ImagnShane Lowry's biggest turning point at the 2025 Open Championship was missing the ball as it moved a bit. Paul McGinley elaborated on this, claiming that it is why the game of golf is so wonderful.Whether the game is played on a grand scale, such as The Open Championship, or on a local scale, the golfer is the referee. If a golfer commits a mistake, they pay the consequences.McGinley said:"As I say, I think it needs to be looked at. I'm always a believer in this game that, you know, we're our own referees out there and the integrity of you as a competitor is really important, whether it's in the local golf club at home or whether it's playing in the Open Championship, and the onus should be on the player."Maybe things could have possibly been altered if Shane Lowry had observed the swing, but according to reports, the golfer also claimed that the shot missed his eyes.