Lowry lashes LIV propaganda: “It's tough to listen to the guy... say he has to do this to put food on the table for his wife and kids”
Shane Lowry might not have been surprised to see Jon Rahm take the LIV Golf cash but admits it’s hard for the ordinary golfer to listen to multi-millionaires say they made the move to “grow the game” and put food on the table for their families.
Speaking at a press briefing at Amgen headquarters to confirm he’ll be gunning for Amgen Irish Open glory at Royal County Down next September, the world number 39 hopes golf’s top players will be reunited sooner or later as golf civil war edges towards a peace deal.
He’s still hoping Rahm will retain his DP World Tour membership and qualify for Ryder Cup duty at Bethpage in 2025.
But while he’s unsure if golf has shot itself in the foot with talk of hundreds of millions of dollars a constant refrain surrounding the pro game, he admits it’s tough for the man in the street hear LIV Golf defectors say they signed up for their families and for the greater good of the game.
“I think what Jon said about growing the game and stuff that's obviously what they have to say,” Lowry said.
“They've signed on the dotted line. They've been told by the communications team that this is what you say when you're asked this and you have no other choice really because they own you now.”
He added: “I don't know if it's been damaging (to golf’s image) but people who have spent their hard-earned money going out to join a golf club and buy golf clubs and play golf for the weekend, it's tough for them to listen to the guy who's already worth whatever say he has to do this to put food on the table for his wife and kids.”
Rory Mcllroy suggested recently that a rule change might be in order to ensure Rahm is in Bethpage in 2025 but Lowry reckons the big Basque will qualify anyway.
“The reason they (Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia or Lee Westwood) couldn't play Ryder Cup this year was because they resigned their membership. There were certain players that would have been able to make the team if they played good enough, but they just didn't. “I am sure Rahmbo can play well enough to make the team, so if he doesn't resign his membership, he can still make the team.”
The Offaly ace (36) admits golf is in “a funny place” over LIV Golf and remains “hopeful that it all irons itself out soon.”
But unlike his Ryder Cup team Viktor Hovland, who last week scotched rumours he was going to LIV Golf before then blasting the PGA TOUR's top brass for their “arrogance” and their secret deal with the Saudi Public Investment Fund, Lowry refused to go that far.
"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," said Lowry, who has high hopes for the Irish Open after Amgen took on the title sponsorship following their recent $27.8 billion takeover over Horizon Therapeutics.
"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.”
