Shane Lowry wasn’t having any of it after a rough finish at Augusta on Saturday.
The Irish golfer had just bogeyed his final two holes, dropping to five-under and seven shots behind leader Rory McIlroy. When reporters tried to get him talking about his friend McIlroy’s chances of winning the Green Jacket, Lowry didn’t hold back.
"No, I’m not going to stand here and talk about Rory for 10 minutes," he snapped. "I’m trying to win the tournament as well."
Clearly frustrated, Lowry continued: "I know that’s what you all want me to talk about, but I’ve just had a s*** finish. I’ve got a chance to win the Masters tomorrow, and I’m going to hit some balls."
The tension was understandable. Every player dreams of winning at Augusta National, and Lowry had just watched his chances take a serious hit.
He brought up a recent similar situation with Collin Morikawa, who caught heat for skipping interviews after losing a three-shot lead with five holes left at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March.
"I think we need time," Lowry said. "I think I need a half-an-hour now to sit there and gather my thoughts."
It’s worth noting that Morikawa had defended his own media silence at The Players Championship, saying he was "just p*****" and "didn’t want to talk to anyone." He also made it clear he didn’t "owe anyone anything."
Lowry thinks there’s a simple solution.
"Tennis players have to talk to the media, but they have a half-an-hour or hour before they have to do it," he explained. "I feel like we should have the same thing."
Before heading to the practice range, Lowry did manage one positive note about the day. He described the atmosphere as "unbelievable," especially with McIlroy charging up the leaderboard behind him.
"The roars, you had to stand off it a little bit, wait for those to happen, wait for him to get the shots," said Lowry, who won the Zurich Classic with McIlroy last year.
