Westwood says LIV Golf did not destroy the DP World Tour

Lee Westwood has weighed in on the growing controversy over whether LIV Golf intended to destroy the DP World Tour.

The debate started when DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings gave an interview to The Scotsman earlier this week.

“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.

Rory McIlroy backed up that claim at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship on Wednesday.

“I agree with Guy,” McIlroy said.

“They took players; they took sponsors; they turned professional golf into an arms race.

“They were going around Augusta saying they wanted to destroy the European Tour.

“Yeah, I agree with everything.

“I think people that don’t agree are probably very shortsighted.”

A day later, Westwood addressed those comments on TalkSport.

“Rory made that statement earlier this week.

“Obviously regurgitating what Guy Kinnings had said about LIV wanted to kill the DP World Tour,” Westwood told the program.

“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.

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

The former world number one then raised a pointed question about the timing of the accusations.

“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?” Westwood said.

He then offered a theory about what might really be driving the narrative.

“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,” Westwood said.

Westwood spoke just as LIV Golf was facing serious financial trouble.

LIV’s new investor, BC Partners Credit, had pulled out of plans to fund the league’s 2.0 vision.

The reason cited was a lack of player commitment to the restructured tour.

Westwood, 53, was one of the first players to join LIV Golf in 2022.

He confirmed he opted not to sign up for LIV 2.0.

“I currently am unemployed,” Westwood said on The Chipping Forecast podcast.

“I haven’t signed up to anything anywhere.

“There’s nothing been presented to me that was agreeable for LIV 2.0.

“Deadlines have come and gone, and I’ve heard nothing, whether I have to sign or I don’t have to sign.

“So literally, I’m unemployed.”

Westwood also admitted that a major reason he originally joined LIV was the money.

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

“[But] that wasn’t solely the reason that I signed up with LIV.

“I have no problem saying part of it was financial.

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

Despite the collapse of LIV Golf’s 2.0 plans, Westwood said he does not regret his decision to join the rebel league.

He told The Chipping Forecast that he is considering rejoining the DP World Tour.

However, he resigned his membership in 2023 after an arbitration panel ruled the DP World Tour could sanction players for playing in conflicting events without a release.

Westwood said he understands he would face a 10-tournament suspension and would not be able to tee it up until May in Turkey.

The DP World Tour’s new hardline stance could also factor into his decision.

CEO Guy Kinnings has said that any player who elects to play on LIV Golf 2.0 will not be able to also play on the European circuit.

Westwood also told The Chipping Forecast that at 53, he is eyeing the senior circuit while deciding how much of a schedule he wants to play.