3 Major Takeaways as Jon Rahm’s $566M LIV Golf Switch Gets Pulled Apart by Ex-Teammate Shane Lowry

Shane Lowry doesn’t buy it. No matter what his Ryder Cup teammate wants us to believe, the Irish pro thinks Jon Rahm, “signed on the dotted line,” everything he said on camera. Lowry was shocked at first, like most. But then again, there is “no smoke without fire,” as he said in an interview earlier.

This time, the Irish pro was speaking at a press briefing at Amgen headquarters. Shane Lowry confirmed he’ll be vying for glory at the Amgen Irish Open, a tournament with rich history and tradition that Rahm once said were his reasons behind staying in the Tour. But things have changed now, and Lowry feels, the Spaniard’s comments are hard to swallow for those, “who have spent their hard-earned money going out to join a golf club and buy golf clubs.”

Shane Lowry questions Rahm’s rationale

Grow the game? Shane Lowry doesn’t think so

The 36-year-old golfer does not give any importance to anodyne platitudes like ‘growing the game.’ “I think what Jon said about growing the game and stuff that’s obviously what they have to say.“

In fact, that’s what all the LIV Golf players have been told to say to save face. It’s scripted as per the Ryder Cupper. “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.”

Notably, the defending Masters Champion was quickly suspended from the PGA Tour. However, whether Rahm has resigned his DP World Tour membership or not, is yet to be known. Lowry wishes the World No.3 doesn’t resign.

Lowry hopes to see Rahm at Bethpage Black

Rory McIlroy, a fierce critic of LIV Golf, called for a rule change, to allow Jon Rahm in the 2025 Ryder Cup. The Irish pro also hopes Rahm keeps his Tour card. Alluding to veteran Ryder Cuppers, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, and Ian Poulter, who were ruled out because of the LIV Golf switch, Lowry says, “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.” 

As of now, Rahm’s only hope is playing well enough in the Majors for two years to stay on the top rung of the World Rankings, because OWGR refused to grant points to LIV Golf. But who is responsible for this mess? Shane Lowry doesn’t want to blame the Tour Policy Board.

Shane Lowry doesn’t consider himself qualified enough

Viktor Hovland, despite criticizing LIV Golf’s format, came down heavily on the top brass of the PGA Tour, calling the top brass arrogant. Lowry, however, would rather stay silent on these matters because he is not “clever enough to be able to comment on running a billion-dollar organization.”

The six-time European Tour winner thinks they could’ve done better, but admits it was impossible to see the LIV Golf threat coming. “Do I think they’ve been amazing? No, probably not. But I’m not going to criticize them because I think they couldn’t foresee this coming. It was something that just happened.” 

Read More: ‘Just Speculation’: For Tiger Woods, It Was All Jokes Until Jon Rahm Made the Gutting LIV Golf Decision; Per Latest Confession

It should be noted Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour commissioner, sent a memo to players in 2020, about an upcoming league that might threaten the traditional form of golf. Although LIV Golf didn’t emerge till 2022, the coming of the Premier Golf League, with Saudi backing, did reach Monahan’s ears. Nevertheless, Lowry prefers to focus on his game, and “try and win the best tournaments I can and compete in the best ones.” Shane Lowry’s 2024 schedule is not yet known, but the 36-year-old will tee off at the Amgen Irish Open in September, a tournament he won as an amateur in 2009.

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