Shane Lowry has a well-worn phrase that has served him well: “Onwards and upwards!” And the Major champion and Ryder Cup player has started the new year by living that philosophy out in moving on from his 15 years association with Horizon Sports to set up his own management company going forward with immediate effect.
In adopting a management model similar to that of Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, the 37-year-old Offalyman – currently 27th in the official world rankings and due to kick-start his PGA Tour season next week in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego – is striking out on his own, although bringing his long-time management handler Brian Moran with him from Horizon in an entirely amicable move.
Conor Ridge, the founder of Horizon, has decided to transition away from sports management to focus on his other business interests.
“After a very successful 15 years together, I am moving on from Horizon Sports to set up my own management company. I would like to thank Conor and the entire team at Horizon Sports for the support they have given me over the years and wish them all the very best for the future,” said Lowry.
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“I am excited to set up my own management company and I am delighted to have Brian Moran join me in that venture. I am looking forward to continuing to work with my team, who have been instrumental in my success over the last few years.”
Lowry joined up with Horizon Sports following his Irish Open tournament win as an amateur at Baltray in 2009. That provided the springboard for a leap into what would be a hugely successful – and profitable – career in the professional ranks, highlighted so far by his Claret Jug victory in The Open at Royal Portrush in 2019.
That breakthrough win by Lowry in the Irish Open came as an amateur and he was swiftly signed up by Horizon Sports for what would prove to be a long and successful relationship. Lowry has seven wins as a professional; apart from The Open, he also won the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational (in 2015) and two Rolex Series events on the DP World Tour, the Abu Dhabi Championship (in 2019) and the BMW PGA Championship (in 2022) and has played in two Ryder Cups, being part of the winning team in Rome in 2023.
Lowry’s only win of last year came in tandem with McIlroy in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and he enjoyed one of his most consistent seasons with seven other top-10s, including sixth-placed finishes at the US PGA, where he shot a 62 in the third round to equal the lowest ever round in a Major, and The Open. It was reflected in a career-best finish of ninth in the FedEx Cup at the end of the regular season to advance to the playoffs and on to the Tour Championship for the first time in his career.
A measure of Lowry’s impact could also be gleaned from reaping a further $3.5 million bonus from the PGA Tour’s Player Impact Program (PIP), which was headed by Woods. Lowry finished seventh on the list. More recently, Lowry hit the inaugural shot in the TGL simulator league, where he heads up the Bay Golf Club.
Lowry’s season starts at next week’s Farmers Insurance Open followed by the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in Monterey. He will have a one-week break before playing in the Genesis Invitational, a signature tournament on the PGA Tour hosted by Woods. Due to the recent fires in Los Angeles, the PGA Tour has announced that it will move the tournament away from Riviera Country Club to a new venue.
The move to his own management model comes in a year where Lowry has made it a goal to be part of Luke Donald’s Europe team for the defence of the Ryder Cup at Bethpage in September, while another big week will come on the Causeway Coast when The Open returns to Royal Portrush in July.
In wishing Lowry well, Conor Ridge of Horizon said: “I would like to thank Shane for placing his trust in me since the day he won the Irish Open as a young amateur over 15 years ago. It has been a privilege and an honour to play a small part in the huge success he has achieved since in becoming one of the best players in the world and one of Ireland’s most popular and successful sportspeople.
“I am delighted that Brian will continue to be part of Shane’s management team going forward and I wish Brian, Shane and the rest of the team the very best for the future. I am looking forward to transitioning out of the sports management industry after 20 great years and focusing on my other business interests.”
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