Shane Lowry says he regrets his comments in defence of his decision to play the Saudi International, as he reiterated his opposition to the LIV Golf Tour.
On Sunday, Lowry landed the prestigious BMW PGA Championship title at Wentworth, the flagship event of the DP World Tour, afterwards describing his win as "one for the good guys", interpreted as a pointed remark against the LIV Tour players in the field.
Prior to the tournament, Lowry had said of certain LIV Tour players that he "can't stand them being here".
Fleshing out his thoughts on the matter in an interview on the 'No Laying Up' podcast, Lowry branded the money involved in golf as "disgusting" and that it would alienate the general public.
"If I was one of those players going to LIV, I wouldn't have shown up at Wentworth, not a chance of me doing that because it would have been too uncomfortable for me," Lowry said.
"They knew it was going to be disruptive. For them to think they can just come back and play (in DP World Tour events) when they want... ...it is wrong.
"We're not the NFL at the end of the day. We're not the NBA. I hate at the minute how divisive golf is. And if we divide our top players, we could be in trouble.
"We're in golf and we love the game and there's a lot of people that love the game. But in the grand scheme of things, golf is actually a small sport. We're very lucky that corporate America - and corporates around the world - love golf and that's why we have such great sponsors and that's why we play for a lot of money. This is causing a division in the game and it could piss people off.
"I feel like all people talk about is money now. Watching the Tour Championship, all the commentators kept talking about was how much money they were going to win, I was like 'will you just talk about the trophy or the title' or how many times Tiger has won it. I think it’s just disgusting amounts of money.
"The general Joe Soap, who works his nuts off to make 50k a year, has to struggle to pay his membership, this is probably pissing him off more than anyone. That’s the wrong thing to do.
"I’m lucky to have the life I have, it’s not my god-given right to be a part of something that will bury those tours. It’s just up to me to hold my place there and pass it on to someone else when it’s my time to sail off into the sunset."
Lowry insisted he was never going to have his head turned by the Saudi-backed tour and its largesse because he doesn't play the game for money. But he said his primary reason for opposing the rebel Tour was that he didn't believe it would be good for the game.
"I have always said I don't play the game for money. I never have. I feel that's why I didn't even entertain it, to be honest.
"I've said to a couple of players that have gone to LIV - why do you play the game? If you play the game for money, maybe you should do it. If you play the game for trophies, you shouldn't.
"I stood there on the 18th green on Sunday and I looked at the names on the trophy and it's a who's who of European golf. And I was like, this is incredible that my name gets to go on it.
"I don't care how much money I won. We were there on Sunday night having a few drinks and someone said to me, 'how much did you win today?' And I said 'I honestly have no idea.'
"They wouldn't believe me and I genuinely had no idea. I had to go to my phone and see the text from the European Tour and see what I had won.
"I have good solid people around me as well. My wife said to me, 'Shane, all that money isn't going to make you happy. What's going to make you happy is competing at the highest level'.
"The (main) reason I haven't even contemplated it is I don't think it's good for the game."
Lowry acknowledged that he was not in a strong position to object to the source of the LIV tour's financial backing as he has played the Saudi International three years running, defending his decision at the time by saying "I'm not a politician."
The 2019 Open champion admits that he "misjudged the room" with those remarks.
"When I said the 'I'm not a politician' remark, my first thought was 'why did I say that?’ It was the wrong thing to say. The thing is I played the Saudi International for the last three years.
"So, for me, I would have been very hypocritical if I sat here and said 'it's about where the money is coming from’.
"Will I go back and play the Saudi International next year? No. But I just think the LIV tour is bad for the game because it is very divisive.
"We would love to be going out to play the big tournaments with the top players were there. Your DJs, Brooks, Brysons, I'd love if we were playing against each other. The reason we're not is because of LIV. I don’t think it is good for the game.
"The reason I went to play there [in Saudi] was I had just won the Open in 2019. I signed a deal to go play there for three years when it was a European Tour event. Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Saudi Arabia, they're all beside each other. I used to play the three of those at the start of the year and then I'd go play in America.
"I would have been very hypocritical if I sat here and said 'it's about where the money is coming from.' Will I go back and play the Saudi International next year? No. But I just think the LIV tour is bad for the game because it is very divisive.
"Maybe I was wrong to think it but I thought, yeah, that's fine I'll do that. And there's no doubt about it, I say I don't play the game for money but I was well worked after for going there. But it was a European Tour event as well, and you're thinking about Ryder Cup points and stuff like that.
"I misjudged the room when I did that. I definitely felt that this year when I was going there. I was not one of the better loved golfers in the world at the time but I had to fulfil the contract and so I went.
"I am one of the players that thinks LIV should not exist. I don't like the idea of it.
"It is a tough subject for me to talk on because I have never been outspoken. The reason I hadn't is because no one had asked me about it. Rory [McIlroy] is outspoken because every day he is in front of the media."
