Sky Sports release immediate apology after angry Shane Lowry incident

Sky Sports were compelled to apologise following an angry outburst from Shane Lowry at the Abu Dhabi Championship. The golf star was left fuming after he overhit his shot at the 17th tee, with his frustrations captured by the TV microphones. Lowry, who remains in contention to claim the tournament following a strong opening day, botched his tee shot on the par-three 17th.

Opting for a seven iron, he targeted the green but misjudged his shot completely as it flew beyond the green and kept rolling down the slope. The Irishman's expression revealed everything, appearing irritated the moment he struck the ball.

Lowry was heard grumbling: "Stop f***ing moving as well," as the ball landed and began rolling away.

Sky Sports commentator Dame Laura Davies instantly apologised to viewers, stating: "Apologies there for the language. That's going to be interesting, that one, straight downhill. I'm looking forward to seeing the magic of Shane Lowry on that one."

Despite Lowry's annoyance on the 17th, he managed a respectable day overall, carding three under to remain tied for sixth and still in contention, with leaders Aaron Rai and Tommy Fleetwood three shots ahead on -14.

Lowry secured the title at Yas Links in 2019 and has endured several near-misses in recent years.

The Irishman finished the opening round this year in a five-way tie for the lead on -8 alongside Ryder Cup teammate Fleetwood after both recorded rounds of 64. Speaking to DP World Tour social media after his opening round, the 2019 Open winner admitted he is excited to be playing so well alongside his friend, Fleetwood.

He said: "Hopefully, I can finish well this time. I was pretty excited when I saw the group, my pairing today, and it was nice to go out there with the boys.

"I was paired with (Fleetwood) in India the first two days and I shot 64 as well. So yeah, something about me and Tommy. But no, I just like playing with him, your friend, and a really good player too. And you kind of feed off each other. It was nice."

England's Fleetwood, who has triumphed twice at this tournament, has nonetheless surged ahead of the Irishman following a six-under performance.

The 34-year-old has already savoured a remarkable year, securing his maiden PGA Tour victory and claiming Ryder Cup glory, and appears to be in commanding form once more in Abu Dhabi.

Following his -6 card on Friday, he remarked: "A really good day. I got off to the perfect start; birdie, birdie, birdie, so that was good, especially when you've had a good day the day before. I think the old saying is that it's always hard to follow up a good round with another good round or a low one with another good one, so starting good was really important.

"I just did a really good job, I hit some good shots but then there were a few times today where I drove it into the rough and we read the lies really well. I felt we did a great job with controlling the ball out the rough and that was really pleasing. Yeah, six under is a really good score."

When questioned about whether he feels he's operating on autopilot given his exceptional form, Fleetwood responded: "I feel obviously good about my game when I'm doing so many things well and I'm also very aware of what the game can do to you as well, so I'm just staying very focused on each day.

"I had a pretty warm-up this morning really, but yeah, I'm having a lot of good rounds, but I'm not stupid, it's bitten me enough times. I'll enjoy these good ones but stay focused and stay trying to do the right things and just hopefully it can continue."