Shane Lowry never considered joining the LIV Golf International Series due to his belief the breakaway league is "bad for the game", suggesting the "ridiculous" prize money throughout golf will alienate fans.
Lowry edged past Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy to win the BMW PGA Championship last week, before labelling his victory "one for the good guys" amid the presence of LIV players at Wentworth.
While the 2019 Open winner criticised the Saudi Arabia-backed circuit in the build-up to that tournament, he attracted criticism earlier this year when he defended his decision to play the Saudi International by declaring; "I'm not a politician, I'm a golfer."
Lowry admitted he was wrong to make that remark, though his main objection to the existence of LIV Golf remains its decisive impact on the sport.
"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," he told the No Laying Up podcast.
"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.
"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 about because I have never been outspoken. The reason I hadn't is because no one had asked me about it. Rory is outspoken because every day he is in front of the media."
Lowry also believes the huge financial incentives available on every tour could turn fans away from golf, adding: "We are very lucky the corporate world loves golf and that's why we have such great sponsors and that's why we play for a lot of money.
"But I do feel like this is causing a division in the game and it's going to p*** people off.
"People are going to stop watching it. I think the amounts of money that are being thrown around are absolutely disgusting at the minute. I feel all people talk about is money now.
"We play for points now in the FedEx Cup, but I watched the Tour Championship and all the commentators talked about was how much money they're going to win, and I thought, 'will you just talk about the trophy or the title or how many times Tiger [Woods] has won it?'
"The general Joe Soap, the guy who works his nuts off to make 50 grand a year and has to struggle to pay his membership at his golf club and loves the game so much, this probably p***** him off more than anyone."
Rahm sets sights on Ryder Cup but refuses to pay DP World Tour fines
Jon Rahm has no intention of paying the fines dealt his way by the DP World Tour, as he reiterated his desire to play at the Ryder Cup.
Rahm, who starred as Europe beat the United States in Rome last year to regain the Ryder Cup, moved to LIV Golf in February.
The Spaniard's participation in next year's Ryder Cup, which will be held in New York, remains in doubt.
Rahm was slapped with fines for playing in LIV tournaments that clashed with DP World Tour events without having requested permission.
If he does not play in three more DP World Tour tournaments before the end of the season in November, he will not be eligible to play at the Ryder Cup.
However, despite Rahm entering the Spanish Open, Dunhill Links Championship and Andalucia Masters, he will be unable to play until he pays his fines, something the 29-year-old does not plan on doing.
"I'm not a big fan of the fines. I don't intend to pay the fines and we keep trying to have a discussion with them about how we can make this happen," he said.
"I intend to play in Spain. Whether they let me play or not is a different thing."
Former European captain Padraig Harrington has limited sympathy for Rahm.
"I'm a stickler for the rules," he said.
"I'm friends with Jon but if the rules are written down, that's just the way it is. The Ryder Cup is bigger than just the match. It is the backbone of the European Tour.
"The European Tour doesn't have a lot of leverage to get players to come back across and play here. The Ryder Cup is the carrot that we use to get people to come back.
"It is a very tough situation for Luke Donald and the Ryder Cup but if the 12th guy who qualifies by sticking to the rules gets bumped out, he's not going to be happy if somebody else has not stuck to the rules. We can't forget that person."
McIlroy hoping for 'solution' to latest PGA-PIF talks
Rory McIlroy hopes there will be a "solution" from this week's scheduled talks between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF).
Tiger Woods is reportedly among a number of PGA Tour representatives in New York for discussions with representatives from PIF, which funds the LIV Golf tour.
Negotiations for a deal that would inject over $1billion from PIF into PGA Tour Enterprises - launched by the tour and Strategic Sports Group as the new for-profit entity - began over a year ago,
McIlroy recently revealed his frustration at the lack of progress, but is hopeful the ongoing issues will soon be resolved.
"I think everyone in the game would love there to be one [a resolution]," the world number three told BBC Sport NI.
"A solution is hard to get to because there are different interests and people want different things. There's going to have to be compromise on both sides but hopefully they're the things they're talking about in those meetings.
"I'm hopeful and hopefully we'll be hear some good news in the foreseeable future where things start to come back together."
McIlroy was speaking ahead of this week's Irish Open at Royal County Down, where he hopes to deal with the pressure of performing on home soils.
"I've had to learn over the years how to manage my week when I come home," he added. "I'm trying so hard to perform in front of the home fans, but then if I push too hard, it's detrimental to my game.
"It's about managing all those emotions and getting lost in my own little world, and not trying to do anything I wouldn't normally do.
"Just go out there and play the best golf that I can and not get too frustrated when things don't go my way. If I can do that then I think I'll be OK.
"It would be extra special [to win here]. After everything that went on this summer and being so close to winning the US Open and being close at the Olympics as well, it would be a nice way to forget about those things and move on."
Chase committed to Bengals despite contract dispute
Ja'Marr Chase has committed to giving his all for the Cincinnati Bengals this season despite failing to agree a contract extension with the franchise.
Chase, who caught seven touchdown passes and tallied 1,216 receiving yards last season, described his current situation as "aggravating" to reporters.
The Bengals kickstart their 2024 season this weekend against the New England Patriots, and Chase suited up for practice on Friday after skipping a workout earlier this week.
"It's my decision," said Chase, whom the Bengals listed as questionable to play.
Chase compiled 3,717 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns in his first three NFL seasons with the Bengals.
In 2023, he caught a career-high 100 passes, tying for second-most in a season in Bengals history.
He is also one of only eight players in NFL history who have reached 1,000 receiving yards in each of their first three seasons in the league.
The Bengals are keen to keep one of their prized assets, with Chase indicating talks are continuing as their Week 1 assignment draws closer.
"It's a small chance, but who knows what'll happen in these next couple hours?" Chase said.
Chase still has two years remaining on his rookie deal as he had his fifth-year option picked up, which will see him earn $9.8million this season and $21.8m in 2025.
This offseason, though, has seen several receivers get big-money deals, including A.J. Brown of the Philadelphia Eagles (three years, $96m), CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys (four years, $136 m), and Chase's former LSU team-mate Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings (four years, $140m).
Asked about a report that suggested he wanted to top Jefferson's $140m deal by one cent, Chase said: "If I want to beat Justin, I'm gonna beat the s*** out of Justin.
"Not by a penny, brother."
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