Shane Lowry ends sponsorship deal after Grenfell inquiry

Shane Lowry has “mutually agreed” to cut ties with shirt sponsor Kingspan after the company was heavily criticised in the Grenfell Tower inquiry final report.

Lowry confirmed he had ended the partnership with the Irish insulation firm in a short statement on Tuesday.

The Irishman’s decision comes days after the public inquiry’s final report was released on the 2017 Grenfell tragedy, where a blaze in a west London tower block claimed 72 lives.

In the report, Kingspan were found not to have been directly responsible for the fire after making some of the combustible foam insulation on the block tower.

The main cause for the fire was the tower’s cladding – which failed to comply with building regulations.

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However, it was found that the Irish company showed “persistent dishonesty” in its marketing of the product, as well as a “complete disregard for fire safety.”

Lowry’s statement read: “Kingspan and I have mutually agreed to discontinue our sponsorship relationship, which we believe to be the right decision for all concerned at this time,” Lowry, the 2019 Open champion, wrote.

“Neither party will be commenting further.”

Kingspan’s deal with Lowry began in May 2017, a month before the Grenfell tragedy.

Speaking at Royal County Down ahead of the Irish Open, Lowry added: “I can’t imagine what those families have gone through the last few years and I’m not going to sit here and talk too much about it.

“It’s obviously a touchy subject. My heart goes out to them and it is what it is now for me and Kingspan.”

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.