Rory McIlroy Hit With 2-Shot Penalty in Abu Dhabi

Rory McIlroy’s former Ryder Cup teammate Lee Westwood has pushed back against McIlroy and DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings after both accused LIV Golf of attempting to destroy the European circuit.

Westwood, 53, disputed the allegations in a November 5 interview with talkSPORT.

He questioned whether LIV was being blamed for broader problems facing professional golf.

His response comes just one day after McIlroy publicly backed Kinnings’ accusations.

The disagreement has taken on additional significance as LIV faces a potential liquidation following the collapse of its proposed $300 million rescue deal.

The latest controversy began when Kinnings accused LIV Golf of deliberately attempting to undermine the DP World Tour.

Speaking to The Scotsman, Kinnings claimed that people connected to LIV had discussed destroying the European circuit with individuals he had known and trusted for decades.

McIlroy supported those allegations during his press conference ahead of the Abu Dhabi Championship on November 4.

“They took players, they took sponsors, they turned professional golf into an arms race,” McIlroy said, according to NBC Sports.

He also alleged that LIV representatives had openly discussed wanting to destroy the European Tour during the Masters at Augusta National earlier this year.

Westwood offered a different perspective.

He told talkSPORT that he had never heard LIV players express a desire to destroy the European Tour.

He noted that several LIV players had continued participating in European Tour events, including opportunities to earn world-ranking points.

Westwood also questioned whether the accusations represented an attempt to blame LIV for everything that had gone wrong in professional golf as the breakaway league approached a possible shutdown.

He maintained that LIV had brought additional attention to the sport, despite the controversy surrounding its emergence.

The disagreement is particularly notable given Westwood and McIlroy’s shared Ryder Cup history.

Both represented Europe in several Ryder Cups.

The two have now found themselves on opposite sides of another controversy.

McIlroy, 37, has been one of the most vocal critics of LIV Golf since the Saudi-backed league launched in 2022.

He has repeatedly said he believes the league has fractured professional golf.

Westwood was one of the high-profile players who left the PGA Tour and DP World Tour to join LIV Golf.

The financial terms of those deals have never been fully disclosed, but reports have placed some contracts in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

LIV Golf’s future has been uncertain in recent months.

A proposed $300 million rescue deal collapsed, according to multiple reports.

The league has not announced a full schedule for 2027.

Several players have reportedly begun exploring options to return to the PGA Tour or DP World Tour.