It was expected that President Donald Trump would arrive just as Shane Lowry was teeing off for his third round, but how did the golfer react when it actually happened?
The Irish Open is being led by an Irishman as Shane Lowry hopes to take home his first solo win since 2022.
However, his third round could have been derailed as President Donald Trump arrived to Doonbeg just as he was getting ready to sink a putt on the second hole.
Speaking on the arrival, Newstalk's Barry Whyte explained that while Lowry did pause for a moment, he eventually decided to keep going.
He said: "Shortly before 3:00pm, Marine One swept in and touched down with Shane Lowry and the rest of his group walking towards their second shots in the nearby second fairway.
"It was an extraordinary and rather surreal collision of presidential pageantry and professional golf pass.
"Shane Lowry initially waited before playing his second shot, but after about 10 minutes, it seemed that him and his group just decided to carry on, I suppose, despite the noise and the commotion that was happening nearby.
"I suppose the next time you hear a professional golfer complain about a camera clicking or someone coughing in the crowd, just remember that some of these players can apparently play through four military helicopters landing beside them."
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Both Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry were asked after the rounds yesterday about President Trump's arrival and the disruption, with neither player seeming phased by the commotion.
Lowry shared: "I think I was ready for like any distractions that that brought. Like we talked about it a lot.
"I thought it might happen while I was on the putting green before I teed off and that wouldn't have been ideal. So I was happy to get my tee shot away and down the first and get my round off to a good start.
"And then when that all happened, it was fine. I just got on with it. I feel like I've been around long enough to deal with stuff like that.
"So, it's a pretty insane day and I'm just happy where I'm sitting in this tournament."
McIlroy added: "[It's] not the experience we're used to in a way. I think it's Air Force One's maiden voyage, I think. That was pretty cool. Cool to sort of see all that going on.
"I was trying to avoid making doubles at that point so I was trying to concentrate on my own stuff as well."
Shane Lowry leads by four shots going into the final round and will be teeing off around 2:05pm.
Main Image: Shane Lowry Picture by: AP
