Lowry unwilling to slam PGA Tour bosses over Rahm’s LIV Golf defection — "I'm not going to sit here and criticise the guys in charge of the game”

Shane Lowry at Amgen Headquarters this week

Shane Lowry admits he wasn't surprised to see Jon Rahm defect to LIV Golf, but he refuses to follow Viktor Hovland's tack and slam the PGA TOUR leadership for "arrogance" in their handling of the civil war with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.

Confirming he will be at Royal County Down next year as the Irish Open is sponsored by Amgen following their recent $27.8 billion takeover over Horizon Therapeutics, the world number 39 said he's not surprised by anything that happens in the game since the PIF started aggressively investing in golf.

"There were a lot of rumours the previous weeks, and there's a lot of chat amongst players, my friends, Rory and the lads," Lowry said of Rahm's about-turn on LIV Golf and his signing for figures of between $300 and $550 million.

"Obviously, there's no smoke without fire. So we all thought, 'he must be going'. I'm not surprised because I'm not surprised with anything at the minute. But yeah, it is what it is.

"It's just mad to think that we're not going to be playing against Jon Rahm until the Masters. He's not going to be rocking up to Riviera, The Players, Bay Hill — all the big tournaments on the PGA Tour. It's just mad to think that. 'Look, it is what it is. I am just hopeful that it all irons itself out soon and we are back together playing soon. I don't know when that will be. But hopefully soon."

Lowry's Ryder Cup teammate Hovland last week scotched rumours he was contemplating a move to LIV Golf, but the Norwegian fired a shot across the bows of the PGA TOUR's top brass for their handling of the LIV Golf threat and the shocking June 6 "merger" announcement which came without input from the players.

"It must be fair to say that the PGA Tour has done a damn bad job," Hovland (26) told Discovery's "FORE!" podcast. "It would be a bit silly to criticise players for leaving. I understand why he (Rahm) left. There's a lot of money.

"They are not professional golfers, after all. There is a great deal of arrogance behind it all."

Lowry, who was one of many players LIV tried to sign, admits the situation was "dispiriting" at first, but he draws the line at criticising PGA TOUR commissioner Jay Monahan or board members such as Jimmy Dunne and Ed Herlihy, who was key players in the June 6 announcement of a framework agreement with LIV Golf for a merger and the creation of a commercial entity to unite the game.

"I make a great living doing what we do, playing the game I love for a living, and I'm not going to sit here and criticise the guys in charge of the game because I'm very fortunate to have the life I have," Lowry said.

"Do I think they've been amazing? No, probably not. But I'm not going to criticise them because I think they couldn't foresee this coming. It was something that just happened. I don't really know.

"A lot of players have a lot of opinions on the leadership of the tour. But I don't consider myself clever enough to be able to comment on running a billion-dollar organisation. "So, like I said earlier, I just worry about my own game, try and win the best tournaments I can and compete in the best ones I can, and that's really it."

Lowry admits the mood changed among the rank-and-file players over the new Signature Events model, which gives the top players more power and undermines the lesser lights.

"I think a lot of people were worried for where the tour was going, and what their jobs are going to be like," Lowry argued. "The thing is, everyone's worried about themselves. So everyone's in it for themselves.

"I wouldn't say the attitude of the top players has changed much, really. Look at Viktor Hovland, he'd been rumoured heavily. If Jon Rahm gets that, what does he get? So, you know, the fact that he's committed to the PGA Tour, I think is great because there were rumours about him.

"So I think he still realises that the best tournaments in the world are on the PGA Tour. But, like I said, I am just hopeful. And I do think it will be ironed out at some stage over the next while. I don't know when, but hopefully soon."

As for the $6 million Amgen Irish Open, which is set for Royal County Down from September 12-15 next year, he's hopeful the change of title sponsor will see the event go from strength to strength.

"It's obviously great that Amgen has taken it on after taking over Horizon and they've just continued on with their sponsorship," said Lowry, who believes a September date, the week before the BMW PGA at Wentworth is ideal. "And I think it says a lot about what the tournament has been like the last couple of years and how much they can feel they can grow it as well. So I think I think it's got a huge potential."

As for the decision of the R&A and the USGA to roll back the golf ball for the elite game in January 2028 and for the recreational golfer in 2030, Lowry has mixed feelings.

"I think as long as they don't keep extending golf courses, it'll be fine," he said. "The one thing I've always said about it is they're trying to make the game harder, make the ball go shorter, make the courses longer, but they're always giving out about us playing slowly. So you know, you can't have it both ways.

"Like if we play Augusta now with the rollback ball, it's going to take six hours to play a round of golf. So, what do you do there? That's just how I feel about it.

"I don't mind it because ball striking will be at a premium. But there has to be something to do with the driver head as well. I saw someone say recently that it's a combination of both - the driver head and the ball. I think if they did something with the driver, it'd maybe be a little bit better."  

He added: "I wasn't in favour of it because I just think golf through COVID and all of that became popular again. There's growth in the game, and people are starting to play again.

"Golf is a hard game. There are about 200 players in the world who are really good at it, and then it goes right down to your 18 handicappers. It's a hard game to play. I just think if you keep making it harder, people might stop playing.

"At the end of the day, it's not coming in until 2028, so we will probably be hitting it ten yards further then anyway. The ten yards with the rollback will just be the same as now. The manufacturers are so good that they will figure out something.”