Shane Lowry on playing in Saudi Arabia: 'I'm happy to earn my living going there'

It was confirmed Monday that Bryson DeChambeau won't play in the upcoming Sony Open in Hawaii because of a sore wrist that, ideally, won't keep him out of the Saudi International. The tournament, scheduled to take place from Feb. 3-6, has generated criticism for allegedly attempting to "sportswash" the country's human rights record.

2019 Open Championship winner Shane Lowry is among the recognizable names set to compete in Saudi Arabia next month and made it clear he's doing so largely as a business decision. 

"Look, obviously there's no hiding from the people writing about this tournament or what they're saying about us going to play, but at the end of the day for me, I'm not a politician, I'm a professional golfer," Lowry explained, according to Reuters (h/t ESPN). "I earn a living for myself and my family and try and take care of those, and this is just a part of that, and I need to go there." 

In a piece published last week, Karim Zidan of The Guardian touched upon the subject of "sportswashing" as it pertains to the Saudi International, the Winter Olympics in Beijing and FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Per the event's website, DeChambeau, Lowry, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson are among the massive stars in the Saudi International field. 

"I'm happy to go there. I'm happy to earn my living going there and going and playing good golf and hopefully win a tournament," Lowry added. "I think for me as a golfer, I'm not a politician, I'll let everyone else take care of that, and I'll go and do my job."