PGA Tour and DP World Tour face a clear choice on Garcia and Westwood

The PGA Tour and DP World Tour now have an obvious decision to make with Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter.

All three left the tours in 2022 to join LIV Golf.

All three were among the most outspoken supporters of the breakaway league.

All three have now abandoned LIV after its proposed rescue deal collapsed and the league heads for an orderly wind-down.

And all three want back in.

The question is whether the tours should let them.

A bankruptcy court hearing on November 5 confirmed that LIV Golf is no longer proceeding with its planned relaunch, known as LIV 2.0.

BC Partners Credit had agreed to provide up to $300 million in funding for the new structure.

But that support was conditional on securing commitments from enough of LIV's top players.

That never happened.

Garcia, Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Joaquin Niemann, Cameron Smith and Tyrrell Hatton all declined to commit to the proposed new era.

LIV attorney Matthew Williams told the court that the necessary support had not materialised.

"We just couldn't get to the level," he said.

Garcia was one of LIV's original signings in 2022 and captained Fireballs GC throughout his five years with the circuit.

He won two individual titles and seven team events.

But the 46-year-old decided against signing up for LIV's proposed 2027 relaunch.

In an exclusive interview with GolfMagic, Garcia described the "good, bad and ugly" of his time with the league.

"Yeah I was big supporter of the league from the start and I think the product of LIV was very good," Garcia told GolfMagic.

"But unfortunately it just wasn't run particularly well."

Garcia cited restoring relationships and a lack of clarity over LIV's future as key factors behind his decision to leave.

He confirmed he will return to the DP World Tour full-time in 2027.

He described the circuit as a huge part of his career and said he was proud to call it home again.

He also kept open the possibility of a PGA Tour return.

His announcement included an apology for his Masters conduct in April, which earned him the first code-of-conduct warning in the tournament's history.

But not everyone welcomed him back.

English golfer Eddie Pepperell questioned the sincerity of Garcia's announcement on X.

Pepperell asked whether Garcia was trolling or had "got dementia."

He called the statement "elite level s***housery" and later described it as showing "a remarkable lack of self awareness."

Garcia responded by reminding Pepperell of the financial cost of his departure.

"I've always liked Eddie," Garcia told GolfMagic.

"I hope that he finds his game, obviously he's been struggling and when that happens you take your frustration on whatever you can."

He then explained why continuing his DP World Tour membership had become increasingly difficult.

"It became a little more difficult when it was costing me almost $2 million to play on Tour because of the fines, but I understand their position."

Garcia was less diplomatic when addressing Pepperell's suggestion that his return announcement was a joke.

"If Eddie doesn't think that the Tour kind of went down a little bit the last few years, then obviously he doesn't want to see the reality of it," he said.

"We are hoping to help out as much as we can and make sure that the DP World Tour keeps growing."

There is history behind Pepperell's criticism.

Garcia previously declared, "I can't wait to leave this tour," during a rules dispute at the 2022 Wells Fargo Championship.

He also reportedly described the DP World Tour as "s**t" during the BMW International Open in 2022.

He argued that fellow professionals should have accepted Saudi money.

Those comments complicate his latest description of the circuit as home.

Garcia maintains that financial sanctions, rather than a lack of affection, made his continued membership difficult.

But the manner of his departure and the things he said about the tour while he was gone are not forgotten.

Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter have not given interviews of the same depth as Garcia.

But the same question applies to them.

They were among the most vocal defenders of LIV Golf.

They talked down to anyone who criticized the league.

They took a position of being superior.

And now they want to come back.

The argument against letting them return is straightforward.

Actions have consequences.

Westwood, Garcia and Poulter did not just leave.

They insulted the tours, the fans and the players who stayed.

They were dishonest about their reasons for joining LIV.

They followed the money and made no apologies for it.

And now that the money is gone, they want to come back.

The other point is that none of them are at the level they once were.

Garcia has won twice on LIV, in Spain in 2024 and Hong Kong in 2025.

But Westwood and Poulter have not won at all since joining the league.

Their games have dropped off drastically from the pre-LIV years.

The DP World Tour does not need them.

The PGA Tour certainly does not need them.

The argument in favor of letting them return is also straightforward.

Garcia is a 2017 Masters champion with 11 PGA Tour wins and 16 DP World Tour wins.