Shane Lowry: My thoughts are with the families of the Grenfell fire victims

Former Open champion Shane Lowry has said his “thoughts are with” the families of the Grenfell fire victims.

Lowry ended his partnership with construction company Kingspan on Tuesday, a week after the report into the fire was published.

The Ryder Cup player had been under pressure to end his sponsorship deal with the Irish building materials company since the Grenfell Tower tragedy, in which 72 people died in west London in June 2017.

Asked ahead of this week’s Irish Open about the end of his sponsorship deal with Kingspan, Lowry initially declined to add further comment to his statement on Tuesday.

Asked if he could have made this decision sooner, Lowry added: “I can’t imagine what these families have been through over the last few years.

“I’m not going to sit here and talk about it too much, it’s obviously a sensitive subject and my heart goes out to them.”

The final report of the Grenfell inquiry, published last week, said the west London tower was cladding with combustible products because of “systematic dishonesty” by the companies that manufactured and sold the cladding and insulation.

Kingspan had, from 2005 and even after the investigation into the fire began, “knowingly created a false market for insulation” intended for use on buildings over 18 metres (59 feet) high, it said.

The Grenfell inquiry concluded that while the tower’s external cladding was “primarily responsible” for the rapid spread of the fire, other products, including Kingspan’s K15 insulation, “contributed” because they did not comply with guidelines on flammable materials for use in tall buildings.

The report found that Kingspan had used “dishonest strategies” and shown a “total disregard” for fire safety over a number of years.

Lowry had come under pressure to end the sponsorship deal after a Grenfell United spokesman criticised the golfer for ignoring calls to resolve the issue.

Ed Daffarn, a member of the Grenfell United families group, told the Guardian that Lowry had the Kingspan logo on the sleeve of his polo shirts, which he described as “deeply offensive”.

On Tuesday evening, the group said: “We first presented Shane Lowry with the evidence from the investigation three years ago, so we are pleased that he has made the right decision to sever ties with Kingspan.

“We now call on all other sports professionals to follow their example and play their part in creating a legacy for the 72 innocent lives that were cut short at Grenfell.”