DP World Tour great and current LIV Golf talent Lee Westwood is not happy about having to resign from the top European league and took some shots at them and the PGA Tour for colluding together.
On Wednesday, it was announced that DP World Tour accepted the resignations of long-time stars Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Richard Bland, and Lee Westwood. The quartet of players broke league regulations when they took massive paydays to compete for the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf tour.
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DP Tour is following a similar strategy as the PGA Tour in banning players who also want to play for LIV. With the PGA and DP having connections for decades, it is not a major surprise that they are in lockstep as they both look to fight off LIV Golf’s advances as they have been able to lure many of the top players in the world with huge signing bonuses and record-breaking tournament winnings.
While it may not be a surprise, long-time European golf star Lee Westwood is not thrilled by having to resign from the tour he has been a top star for. On Thursday, the former world No. 1 spoke on the “sadness” of, essentially, ending his run as a part of European golf. Something he has been a staple of since his childhood.
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However, in expressing his thoughts on the end of his time with the DP World Tour, he took some major shots at them and the PGA Tour for what he feels is a hypocritical stance against LIV.
“People say I knew exactly what would happen, but nobody told us the extent of the punishments. And they continue to do that. The way I view it is that, as a European Tour member, I was allowed to be a member of the PGA Tour without any problem for all those years. Tell me, what is the difference? Just because LIV is funded by the Saudis – a country where my tour used to play and where we were encouraged to play?”
– Lee Westwood
LIV Golf next event: May 12-14, Cedar Ridge Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Westwood believes that the once powerful DP Tour has become subservient to the PGA and is completely “in bed” with the United States-based league. And while he is disappointed at the end of his tenure with DP, he is also relieved to no longer compete under the protocols set by the two established tours.
“In my opinion, the European Tour has jumped fully in bed with the PGA Tour and even though [Keith Pelley DP Tour chief executive] says he hates to hear it, it is now a feeder tour for the PGA Tour. The top 10 players on the tour, not already exempt this year, have a pathway to the PGA Tour. That’s giving our talent away. That was never the tour’s policy before this ‘strategic alliance’.
“Sorry, I don’t want to play under that sort of regime. Like, I always played on the Asian Tour, and got releases no problem. But then they said I shouldn’t play in the Indonesian Open at the end of last year. Come on. No thanks, I don’t want to play that game. “
LIV Golf’s next event will take place in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the Cedar Ridge Country Club from May 12 to 14.