… Yas Links, Abu Dhabi

​Shane Lowry revealed he consulted fellow Irishman and Committee Chairman Rory McIlroy ahead of agreeing to join the 16-man PGA Tour Players Advisory Committee (PAC).

Lowry is among five non-Americans in the 16 announced by the Tour that will take-up seats on the Committee that customarily meet four times a year. The other four being Australia’s Adam Scott, Swede Henrik Norlander and the Canadian duo of Mackenzie Hughes and Corey Conners.

Shane Lowry reveals he discussed with PAC committee champion his move onto the 16-man commitee

Lowry will undoubtedly be a great asset to the committee, sounding his passion for the game in commenting on matters that has shaken men’s professional golf to the core.

It was Andy Pazder, Executive Vice-President and Chief of Operations at the Tour, who first approached Lowry and with McIlroy also speaking with Lowry ahead of the Offaly golfer agreeing to the role.

“Rory texted me about the position and said to me that it’s something that if you may want to be involved, and if you do feel you can benefit the committee then you should join”, said Lowry.

“We then had a chat and he said if you felt that if it affected your golf and maybe take-up too much time, then it’s probably not a good move.

“So, I spoke to my team Brian (Moran) and Connor (Ridge) and they were supportive which was also nice.

“It’s going to be great getting more involved with the workings of the Tour.”

An important aspect of Lowry now joining the PAC is that at a general committee level, he’s the only new member among the 16 appointed that plays regularly on both the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour.

This move is going to be increasingly important with the leading 10 players at the end of the 2023 DP World Tour season will earn full membership on the PGA from 2024.

And it’s a such that Lowry very much recognises.

“I think that’s the exact reason why Andy approached me, especially as I do play both tours regularly, and proudly holding membership of both tours,” said Lowry.

“I think where the game is at the minute, it would be nice to be involved and I feel like I could have a little bit of input into what’s going on.

“The fact that I am a global player as well and I play a lot here in the Middle East and in Europe a lot, probably helped, and it’s probably nice for them to have someone like that on the committee.

“You know, it will be nice. Hopefully I can — yeah, I don’t know what I can bring. I don’t even know what it involves. I know it’s four meetings a year. I don’t know what we’re going to be talking about in those meetings or on those calls or whether it be at tournaments.

“Yeah, I’m involved now and we’ll see how it pans out.”

Lowry indicated the first meeting of the new PAC committee will meet ‘in the next couple of weeks’

He was speaking ahead of this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship being played for a second year running at the Yas Links course, situation just across the road of the Abu Dhabi F1 GP racing circuit.

The Irishman is a former winner of the HSBC sponsored event, winning at the close-by Abu Dhabi GC in 2019, and a harbinger to the fantastic scenes six months later at Royal Portrush.