Open Champion Shane Lowry has called on the European Tour to end ‘diluting’ the lucrative ‘Final Series’ and avoid anyone becoming No. 1 via a ‘back door’.
Lowry, and currently No. 3 on the Race to Dubai, found himself dragged into last week’s controversy surrounding a bizarre scenario involving his Dublin-based Horizon Sports Management stablemate, Ross Fisher.
Fisher, and like Padraig Harrington, was afforded an invitation to compete in last week’s Turkish Airlines Open and with both players having effectively ended their money-list year by not finishing inside the top-75.
Indeed, Fisher was ranked 106th but following the withdrawal of two players just prior to tee-up, the Tour afforded the Englishman the opportunity to take the place of one of the two and thus tee-up in Belek as a ‘normal’ money-earning competitor.
Open Champion Shane Lowry calls on the European Tour to close any ‘back door’ into becoming European No. 1 (Photo – R&A)
It effectively meant no matter where Fisher finished his earnings would be added to his already Race to Dubai earnings and thus by finishing 10th he pocketed Euro 81,863 and has now jumped 22 spots to 84th.
After ending Saturday’s third round sharing second place, observers were suggesting the former Irish Open winner could pull over victory in Belek, and it must be highlighted it was not Fisher but the Tour who instigated a change in his Turkey playing ‘status’.
If Fisher had won it would have opened a massive career-changing can of worms not only affording the 38-year a sixth Tour win but also a three-year ‘Rolex Series’ Tour exemption, the $US 2m first prize cheque, a huge jump up the Race to Dubai standings, a place in the DP World Tour Championship along with a golf bag full of European Ryder Cup and also World Ranking points.
Lowry, and never one to be out-spoken or controversial, but he got a caddy lounge full of the controversy late on Saturday.
“I went down to the caddy lounge after my third round and there was uproar down there,” said Lowry.
“It’s funny that everyone down there was assuming it was Conor Ridge and Brian (Moran – Horizon Sports Management) who were the instigators behind it all but Conor didn’t even know about it and Brian was actually in on the Tour’s email outing what was going on with Ross’s position and he had to ring Conor to tell him.
“It was decision could change a man’s career and if Ross were to win, he’s looking at Ryder Cup, back towards the top-50 in the world and all this year. So, it’s mad how it could change someone’s career but in saying that I personally don’t believe these events should not have invitations.
“The Tour stated the Turkish Airlines would be a field featuring the top-70 and then the top-60 for this week’s Nedbank Challenge while it would be the top-30 on the Race to Dubai competing in Dubai. If you were not top-70 you shouldn’t have been playing in Turkey and if you’re not top-60 you shouldn’t be playing the Nedbank and the same in Dubai.
“Now, if they left it at that there may be only 50 players competing in the Nedbank and maybe only 45 showing up in Dubai and that is the way it is. I think for Dubai, it should not go be going down the list. It used not to go down the list as I finished 61st one year.
“It is diluting the Final Series and there is a lot of guys who start the New Year with the goal to make the Race to Dubai final but then all of a sudden they finished 50th on the money list and someone else finishes one behind and they are playing in the DP World, as well. I don’t think that is right.
“Tiger Woods won the Tour Championship on the PGA Tour last year and he didn’t qualify this year and that is the way it should be.”
And Lowry, who is spending this week in Dubai with his young family ahead of next week’s season-ender, would rather see a colleague win the Race to Dubai fair-and-square and not, as the Offlay man puts in, via the ‘back door’.
“The Race to Dubai is brilliant and the DP World is a great tournament and in heading to Dubai, and like I said earlier, it’s a goal for certain players to be teeing-up in that tournament, and it’s a year-ending thing but I don’t you should be winning the Race to Dubai and becoming European No. 1 via the back door.
“You should not be able to do that and becoming European No. 1 is a big thing and you look at the lads who have won it over the years and it’s all about consistency over a given year.”
