PGA Tour faces tough call on Garcia and Westwood after LIV spat

The PGA Tour and DP World Tour now have an obvious decision to make with the likes of Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood.

Sergio Garcia answered Eddie Pepperell's dementia jibe with a reminder of just how expensive his relationship with the DP World Tour had become.

Rather than trade insults, the Spaniard defended his LIV Golf departure and revealed that sanctions had cost him almost $2 million to remain involved with the circuit.

"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 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," Garcia said.

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

The exchange followed Garcia's confirmation that he would return full-time in 2027 after leaving LIV Golf.

The 46-year-old described the circuit as a huge part of his career and said he was proud to call it home again, while keeping the possibility of a PGA Tour return open.

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

Pepperell had questioned the sincerity of that announcement, asking on X 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."

However, the Englishman also acknowledged Garcia's standing in the game, calling him a wonderful player and revealing that he had been his favourite golfer growing up, even ahead of Tiger Woods.

There is a 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 and argued that fellow professionals should have accepted Saudi money.

Those comments complicate his latest description of the circuit as home, even if Garcia maintains that financial sanctions, rather than a lack of affection, made his continued membership difficult.

Garcia, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter have been three of the most outspoken supporters of LIV Golf over the past few years.

Garcia and English duo Westwood and Poulter left the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour in order to join LIV Golf way back in 2022.

Only Garcia has managed to win on LIV Golf since all three joined the league, with victories for the Spaniard coming in Spain in 2024 and Hong Kong in 2025.

However, now that LIV Golf looks set to fold, or operate on a much smaller scale at the very least, the English duo and the Spaniard have abandoned ship.

Garcia, Poulter and Westwood were following the money in the first place when they joined LIV Golf, and now they are doing exactly the same thing.

Now, though, due to the decisions they have made and some of their appallingly arrogant behavior, they should be made to deal with severe consequences.

The likes of Westwood, Garcia, Ian Poulter and many more players have done irreversible damage to their legacies by joining LIV Golf in the first place.

However, the biggest mistake those players made was treating those who criticized LIV Golf like idiots.

Westwood, Poulter and Garcia specifically talked down to anyone who had a bad thing to say the league.

In fact, it's not just the fact that they criticized them, it was the manner in which they did it.

Poulter, Garcia and Westwood talked down to any LIV detractors as if they were better than them.

They took a position of being superior.

Actions have consequences, and their actions should prevent them from being able to ever play on the DP World Tour or the PGA Tour ever again.

That may sound harsh, but life is all about people getting things that they deserve.