“They’ve signed on the dotted line” - Shane Lowry unconvinced with Jon Rahm’s comments about ‘growing the game’ post-LIV switch
Shane Lowry recently criticized Jon Rahm's comments following the latter's signing with LIV Golf. Lowry did not question Rahm's decision per se, but rather the arguments Rahm used to move to the breakaway series.
Shane Lowry claimed that the Spaniard said what he said because he "had no choice" because the LIV circuit "owns" him now. The Irishman spoke about the "Jon Rahm case" in an interview with the Irish Independent's journalist Brian Keogh.
NUCLR Golf posted an excerpt of the interview on X (formerly Twitter):
"Shane Lowry says he isn’t buying Jon Rahm’s comments about growing the game with LIV GOLF: “I think what Jon said about growing the game and stuff that’s obviously what they have to say. 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.” (Via @IrishGolfDesk )
Shane Lowry also evaluated some of Rahm's comments from a fan's perspective. Lowry considers it "tough" for a fan to believe what the Spaniard said regarding money factoring into his decision. Lowry was quoted as saying:
"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."
Jon Rahm's move to LIV Golf was officially announced on December 7. The agreement was finalized for an undisclosed sum, but reports speculate the figure at around $500 million. In addition, the Spaniard will reportedly be the owner and captain of a new team on the circuit.
What else did Shanel Lowry talk about during his interview?
Shane Lowry's conversation with Brian Keogh touched on other topics in the world of golf. They discussed the possibility of LIV Golf players being integrated into the European team for the Ryder Cup and the criticism that the PGA Tour board is receiving these days among other topics.
In Lowry's opinion, players like Sergio Garcia or Ian Poulter gave up their chances of going to the Ryder Cup when they gave up their DP World Tour membership. The Irishman thinks that if Jon Rahm keeps his membership, he should be able to go to the biennial event.
"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," Lowry said.
As for the PGA Tour board, Lowry expressed that he prefers to be cautious when it comes to criticizing them because, in his opinion, leading a multimillion-dollar organization is extremely difficult.
“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 further added.
Lowry has a 14-season career in professional golf, playing primarily on the DP World Tour and PGA Tour. Lowry has accumulated six professional wins to date including The Open Championship in 2019.