Shane Lowry reacts angrily to embedded ball on fairway at Quail Hollow

By Phil Casey, PA Golf Correspondent, Charlotte

A furious Shane Lowry made his feelings about Quail Hollow known in emphatic fashion on day two of the 107th US PGA Championship.

Lowry’s tee shot on the eighth hole pitched in the fairway and bounced sideways into a divot left by another player.

That meant the former Open champion was not allowed relief for an embedded ball and, after being informed of this by a rules official, Lowry could only hit his second shot into a greenside bunker.

Lowry responded by slamming his club into the turf and exclaiming loudly: “F*** this place” before going on to make a bogey five and flipping his middle finger at the hole as he tapped in.

Tournament officials came under severe criticism on Thursday for opting not to implement preferred lies despite torrential rain having badly disrupted practice rounds on Monday and Tuesday.

World number one Scottie Scheffler and defending champion Xander Schauffele both blamed “mud balls” for making double bogeys on the 16th in the first round after pulling their second shots into the water.