Shane Lowry: We got sidetracked into thinking $100 million is just normal

Shane Lowry is predicting a “sustainable” future for the DP World Tour once players overcome being “sidetracked” by the vast sums of money thrown at the game following the launch of LIV Golf last year.

Shane Lowry talks during a press conference prior to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links. Picture: Photo by Oisin Keniry/Getty Images.

In a press conference ahead of this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the first leg of a Rolex Series double-header in the UAE, Lowry was asked if he felt his home circuit was in a good place at the start of this year.

“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,” said the Irishman.

“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.

“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.

“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.”

Lowry, who won this week’s event in 2019, has just been appointed as a new member of the PGA Tour’s Player Advisory Council, meaning he’ll be involved in decisions that will continue to shape the game’s future on the traditional tours.

“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,” said the former Open champion.

“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.”