‘Why Not Let Us’: LIV Golf Defector Lee Westwood Publicly Bashes DP World Tour Authorities for Their Biased Actions

Published 01/18/2023, 1:49 PM EST

Lee Westwood is an English professional golfer who has had a successful career on the European Tour and PGA Tour. He has won numerous tournaments, including over 30 European Tour events, and is a former World Number One. Westwood’s switch to LIV golf last summer has soured his relationship with the DP World Tour. For the time being, he has been excluded from the tour, and his inclusion along with another LIV golfer is an afterthought.

“Beating Tiger in Germany was special, but beating Tiger anytime is special isn’t it?"
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) January 18, 2023

Even after not having a spot in the pro-am this week at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, no one can stop Lee from remembering the best of the memories that he has had with the tour.

Exit of Lee Westwood from the DP World Tour

Lee Westwood is very disappointed at not having a spot in the pro-am this week at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. He expressed his disappointment with the situation and questioned the treatment of LIV players in the pro-am this week. He questioned why the routine had changed before the decision had been made? According to an article by Golf Digest, Lee said, “Why not let us [LIV players] tee-up in the pro-am this week? Why would you not have, for instance, me and Poults [Ian Poulter] playing. That doesn’t do the sponsors much good. Why with the [arbitration between LIV and DP World Tours] hearing coming along would you change the routine? Why not treat us the same until there’s a decision?”

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Talking about the European Tour, he said. “I love the European Tour. I’ve played on it for 30 years and like to think that I’ve supported it more than anybody. When I had the chance to take up my PGA Tour card in 1998 and again in 2010, I didn’t.” Lee expressing his hurt said, “Even when I was a member of both tours I’d always say that I was a member of the European Tour first and foremost. I don’t want that to change.”

He and other golfers who have switched to LIV Golf are unable to understand what has changed. Why are they being boycotted by other tours just for switching to LIV golf when that was never an issue between the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour?

Tale of Lee Westwood and the DP World Tour

Lee Westwood made his professional debut on the European Tour at the age of 20 on the Portuguese archipelago off the northwest coast of Africa. For the first tour, he did not perform badly and landed in the nineteenth position. He has come a long way in almost three decades and is valued at approximately €35 million. Westwood has represented Europe in the Ryder Cup a record-tying 10 times and has also won the Order of Merit on the European Tour twice.

In 2010, he was named a Member of the Order of the British Empire for his services to golf. Despite not having won a major tournament, Westwood has consistently been one of the top-ranked players in the world and is widely considered one of the best players of his generation. Clearly, his journey on the DP World Tour has been a shaping curve in Lee’s professional life. Being cast out from where you started can be overwhelming for anyone.

What do you have to say about the outcasting of LIV golf players from the PGA Tour and DP World Tour? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. Stay tuned as we bring you more ongoing feuds and stories about your favourite sport.

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Written by:

Manisha is a Golf writer at EssentiallySports. A Philosophy graduate, she possesses a writing experience of over 2 years now. Having picked up on the sport for quite some time now, Manisha looks up to Tiger Woods and admires his fortitude and charisma.

Edited by:

Abdul Bari Khan