“$100 million is just normal” - Shane Lowry says DP World Tour is ‘sustainable’ without vast sums of money

Shane Lowry slammed the ‘money talks’ in golf last year. The 35-year-old golfers took a jibe at LIV Golf and said it was 'absolutely disgusting' how vast sums of money were being thrown around in the sport. The golfer has now made a similar comment backing the DP World Tour.

The BMW PGA Championship winner has now said that the European tour “has grown” and has a “sustainable” future. Commenting on the players’ stance on the financial situation in the sport, Lowry said that the players were being “sidetracked into thinking that 20 million or 100 million is just normal.” The golfer stated that this must be changed.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Shane Lowry said:

“So, I think what's happened in the last year or so, we've got sidetracked into thinking that 20 million or 100 million is just normal and that's what we should be playing for and that's what we're worth; and that, if we are playing for two or three million on this tour, that is not enough.

The Irishman further added that the DP World Tour was on the right path.

He said:

“I still think that this tour has grown. With the PGA Tour alliance and prize-money guaranteed to grow over the next 13 years every year, I think that's good for the tour. I think it's sustainable, which is the big thing. I think having a sustainable product is something that you need to have, and I do think this tour has that."

He added:

Like I said, I think we got sidetracked into thinking that $100 million is just normal. Everybody is throwing out these figures that are just astronomical.”

Lowry exudes confidence in DP World Tour's future

Shane Lowry also noted that the circuit could still improve on certain points. The Irishman, who won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in 2019, backed the tour and said that it could continue to improve in the coming years.

Speaking ahead of the Rolex Series in the UAE, he added:

“As a tour, could this tour be better? Yeah, obviously, we could all be better in anything that we do. But, with a steady growth over the next number of years, I do think this tour will keep improving.

It is pertinent to note that Lowry’s comments come only a day after he was appointed as a new member of the PGA Tour’s Player Advisory Council. The golfer, who’ll be involved in the circuit’s decision-making process from now on, also addressed his new role.

He said:

“Look, as a group of players on the DP World Tour, it's up to us to pass the Tour on to the next generation and it’s the same on the PGA Tour… I think that's what's important for golf over the next while, and that's why I am happy to be involved in the PAC and I am quite passionate about where golf is going and what's right for the game over the next while.”

Lowry is famous for his strong and unfiltered opinions. A staunch backer of the PGA Tour in the PGA-LIV Golf fight, the Irishman is expected to work for the betterment of the American series.