Shane Lowry has been handed a top PGA Tour role this year, with the Irishman being named among the 14 new members set to join PGA Tour's Player Advisory Council (PAC) for 2023.
The 16-member panel, which consists of playing tour members, has a major say in the direction the organisation takes moving forward in relation to various different matters. The likes of Adam Scott, Scottie Scheffler, Rickie Fowler, and Will Zalatoris have also been added to the group.
Having been voted as PAC Chairman last year, Rory McIlroy will also play a major role having been elected to a three-year term in 2022.
They will work with the PGA Tour board and its commissioner in order to raise the concerns of the players, with issues relating to this in the past having previously led to the emergence of LIV Golf as a credible option for many big name stars.
These roles are now more pivotal than ever, with the PGA Tour still embroiled in a battle with LIV Golf over the future of the professional game.
The North American-based tour has made a number of changes in recent times to stave off the threat posed by the Saudi-backed venture, which includes increased prize money and other changes to the playing schedule.
Lowry has been one of the most vocal critics of LIV Golf, admitting that while the increased competition has put more money in his pocket, he still thinks the game is heading in a dangerous direction.
I am making more money now because of what LIV has done, but I still don't think it's good for golf. So because I'm making more money, that's fine, whatever, but the money I would have made if LIV didn't happen, I'd be surviving on that as well.
I get what they're saying, but they're just trying to be disruptive and make headlines, so I just don't think it's good for golf.
We're playing for $20 million a week next year some weeks, which is outrageous, and that's fine. I hope it's sustainable because I hope in 10 years time that the tour is still as strong and still growing.
That would be my fear with what's happening now is just trying to fix it now and not really looking for the future. But I hope in 10, 20, or 30 years when I'm sitting at home as an old man in the armchair watching the golf on TV, it is the same or even better than what I was playing on. So that's how I feel about it.
As part of PAC, Shane Lowry will now have a sizeable say in what direction the PGA Tour travels in over the coming years.
While the committee is currently playing a big role, this was not always the case in the past. Increased player power means the PAC has been given a greater voice in the game, but former longtime member Paul Azinger said over the weekend that he found the whole thing to be a waste of time.
Here’s the full Azinger quote. pic.twitter.com/lDL9H0bzt2
— Kyle Porter (@KylePorterCBS) January 15, 2023
I was on PAC for 13 years and thought it was a colossal waste of time. You think you're achieving things...
It might be different nowadays.
It is likely that the committee plays a much larger role in the current age, especially as the tour attempts to appease their top stars in order to keep them among their ranks.
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