Lee Westwood joins LIV Golf ‘destroy’ feud with McIlroy

Lee Westwood has weighed in on the escalating feud between LIV Golf and the DP World Tour.

His comments come after Rory McIlroy and DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings accused LIV of trying to ‘destroy’ the European circuit.

Westwood, who gave up his DP World Tour membership to join LIV, spoke to TalkSport on Thursday.

He directly addressed the claims made by Kinnings and McIlroy.

“Rory made that statement earlier this week. Obviously regurgitating what Guy Kinnings had said about LIV wanted to kill the DP World Tour,” Westwood said.

“I have never heard any players who play on LIV say that they want to kill the European Tour. Why would they do that? Most are actually playing on the European Tour as well, that was the main source of world ranking points.”

Westwood, a former world No. 1, questioned the timing of the accusations.

“Why would you want to kill a tour that you is filling up your schedule?” he asked.

“Maybe someone else was going around saying that at Augusta. Why would you bring it up now, why now bring it up right after it happened at Augusta?”

He suggested the claims might be a diversion.

“The statement there seems to me that we are going to try and blame LIV for everything now it is going. Maybe Guy is about to break some bad news to his membership and needs an excuse.”

The controversy began on Monday, November 2, when Kinnings gave an interview to The Scotsman.

“We have to protect the Tour against an entity who spent, so we are told, over $7 billion, with one of their aims being to ‘destroy the DP World Tour’,” Kinnings said.

Kinnings said he had heard this from multiple people he has known for over 30 years in the game.

“Clearly when you are faced with statements like that, and then people then ask why we are doing what we are doing with our membership and invite policy for 2027, then I think the answer becomes pretty obvious,” Kinnings added.

“Myself and everyone at the DP World Tour have a duty to our members to protect our tour.”

Two days later, on Wednesday, November 4, McIlroy backed Kinnings at the Abu Dhabi Championship.

“I agree with everything that Guy said. They took players; they took sponsors; they turned professional golf into an arms race,” McIlroy said.

“They were going around Augusta saying they wanted to destroy the European Tour. Yeah, I agree with everything.”

McIlroy said those who disagree are “probably very shortsighted.”

He also questioned LIV’s long-term impact on other tours, particularly the Asian Tour.

McIlroy noted that LIV’s investment in the International Series offered some early benefits but did not last.

The Asian Tour later returned to partnerships with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.

McIlroy suggested LIV’s investors may have lost interest after seeing little chance of a return.

He believes the men’s game now has a better chance of long-term stability without such uncertainty.

Kinnings used the controversy to defend the DP World Tour’s 2027 membership and invitation policies.

He said the Tour had a duty to protect its members and preserve its identity after more than 50 years in the sport.

“Regardless of who the players are, they’ve got to prove themselves in the system. I understand what some players are saying, because things have been said in the past. But if players are ready to say, I’m now ready to be supportive, do good things for the Tour and try and help, then we have to look at that,” Kinnings said.

He stressed that the interests of existing members must remain a priority.

The DP World Tour would continue to defend its place in professional golf, he added.

Westwood’s intervention comes at a fragile moment for LIV Golf.

The league is battling to survive in a watered-down “LIV 2.0” version.

It is working through Chapter 11 bankruptcy with a pledge of $300 million from BC Partners Credit.

But that investor has now pulled out of plans to fund the league’s 2.0 vision amid a lack of player commitment, according to reports.

Most of LIV’s top names have quit the league and plan to return to established circuits.

Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton and Sergio Garcia are coming back to the European tour.

Others are set to be eligible for sponsor invites.

Kinnings is having to weigh up regaining star power with unhappiness among some members over LIV players walking back onto the tour after causing disruption.

Westwood, 53, confirmed he opted not to sign with the league’s new structure.

The feud highlights the deep divisions still running through professional golf.

LIV Golf was formed in 2022, backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).

It took top stars from the European and PGA Tours by offering huge signing bonuses and prize money.

The upended landscape has led to years of legal battles, suspensions and bitter public exchanges.

McIlroy has been one of LIV’s most vocal critics since its formation.

He has repeatedly defended the traditional tours and questioned LIV’s motives.

Westwood, meanwhile, was an early LIV signee and has remained with the league.

His comments now add a direct player rebuttal to the accusations from Kinnings and McIlroy.