Lee Westwood Says He’s Unemployed as LIV Golf Future Falters

Lee Westwood, one of the first marquee names to join LIV Golf in 2022, says he is now effectively unemployed.

The 53-year-old Englishman revealed on The Chipping Forecast podcast that he has not signed a contract for the proposed LIV 2.0 tour.

“I currently am unemployed,” Westwood said.

“I haven’t signed up to anything anywhere.”

He added that no offer presented to him so far was “agreeable.”

Westwood’s declaration comes as the Saudi-backed league attempts to restructure through Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The Public Investment Fund, which had poured more than $5 billion into LIV, withdrew its support last month.

BC Partners Credit has offered up to $300 million in financing to keep the project alive.

But the league’s future remains deeply uncertain.

Westwood confirmed that he has not signed the Restructuring Support Agreement that would bind him to LIV 2.0.

“Deadlines have come and gone, and I’ve heard nothing,” he said.

“I haven’t signed 2.0. I haven’t signed anything.”

He also said he will not issue a public statement about his next move.

“I’ve seen everybody’s statement and I just don’t get it,” Westwood said.

“I won’t be making a statement. It’s nobody’s business but mine where I go and play golf.”

Westwood is one of several high-profile players to leave LIV in recent weeks.

Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, Lucas Herbert, Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter have all exited.

Westwood’s departure, however, carries particular weight because he was among the league’s earliest and most vocal supporters.

He joined LIV in 2022, when the league was still fighting legal battles with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.

Westwood has no regrets about that decision.

“A massive financial package was put in front of me — I would have been stupid to turn it down,” he said.

“I’ve made a fortune over the last four and a half years.”

But the money came with a cost.

Westwood resigned his DP World Tour membership in 2023, along with Ian Poulter and Richard Bland, after an arbitration panel ruled the tour could sanction players for competing in LIV events without a release.

That resignation effectively ended his chances of captaining Team Europe in the Ryder Cup — a role he had been promised.

Westwood said he had a conversation with DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings shortly after the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits.

He asked Kinnings if he could still be captain if he joined LIV.

“They didn’t say no, but it was made clear that there would be very little chance of it, and I made the decision to go to LIV,” Westwood said.

Henrik Stenson lost the captaincy after accepting it while planning to join LIV.

Westwood reflected on the choice with a sense of finality.

“But we make calls in life, you make a choice, and I have no regrets over the choice I made there,” he told Yahoo Sports.

Now, at 53, Westwood faces an uncertain playing future.

He is considering rejoining the DP World Tour.

But doing so would trigger a 10-tournament suspension, meaning he could not tee it up until May at the earliest.

The DP World Tour has also adopted a hardline stance: any player who competes in LIV 2.0 will not be allowed to play on the European circuit.

Westwood is also eyeing the senior circuit.

“I’ve looked at the start of next year, and I’m going to enter the Sunningdale Foursomes with Sam, my son, first week in March,” Westwood said.

“And then there’s a senior event the week after.”

He defended LIV’s original concept, saying the league was never given a fair chance to work with the established tours.

“They’ll still have great tournaments, which kind of takes me back to the very start of it — there was room in the calendar for 14 events but how much was the discussion had?”

Westwood said. “It felt like when LIV came on the scene, the door was pretty much slammed shut straight away.”

Westwood blamed LIV 1.0’s failure on waste and poor management.

“There was too much waste,” he said.

But he believes LIV 2.0 could still succeed.

“There’s a business there,” he said.

For now, however, Westwood is in limbo.