LIV Golf’s Lee Westwood calls for golf’s war to end ahead of U.S. Senior Open debut

Lee Westwood, at 51, is set to make his debut in the U.S. Senior Open this week, marking his first appearance in a senior major tournament. The English golfer has expressed his frustration with the current state of professional golf, where the PGA Tour is negotiating with LIV Golf’s main financial backer, the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF).

Westwood is advocating for a unified approach where the best players in golf compete together more frequently, not just in major tournaments. “No matter what the level of golf is, I think if the best players at every level don’t come together and play, there’s only one loser, and that’s the fans watching,” Westwood stated ahead of his U.S. Senior Open debut. “We need to somehow figure a way to get the best players playing against each other more often.”

The ongoing division between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf has heightened the significance of the four major tournaments, where LIV players are still allowed to compete. This means that fans get to see the top golfers from both circuits come together only four times a year at The Masters, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open, and The Open Championship.

LIV Golf has made its mark in recent majors, with four of the last eight champions being part of the Saudi-backed league. Bryson DeChambeau, a notable LIV Golf player, recently won a major at Pinehurst No. 2. Westwood emphasized the importance of these top players participating in major tournaments, noting, “When you look at the U.S. Open two weeks ago or the Masters or the PGA Championship, people are happy to see Bryson [DeChambeau], Cam [Smith], or Jon Rahm competing in those big events. It’s basically getting all the best players together in one tournament to compete against each other, and that’s what you want at the highest level. You want all the best players there.”

This week’s U.S. Senior Open will feature two LIV Golf players: Richard Bland, who recently won the Senior PGA Championship, and Westwood. Westwood qualified for the U.S. Senior Open by virtue of his participation in a recent Ryder Cup, representing Team Europe at Whistling Straits in 2021. Despite a challenging performance where the Europeans were defeated 19-9, Westwood managed to secure a point for his team.

Westwood joined LIV Golf less than a year after the Ryder Cup, though he has struggled to find significant success within the league. However, he enters the U.S. Senior Open with renewed confidence following a strong showing at LIV Golf Nashville, where he tied for third place, marking his best performance on the circuit to date.

Reflecting on his preparation and recent form, Westwood said, “I started to swing well, and my whole game was coming together when I played at LIV Houston three weeks ago. Then I went home and did a little bit of work on it. I probably haven’t been working as hard on my game as I would have liked to, but I put in a bit more work in the week off.” He added, “Putted well last week. I sharpened my short game up because I’ve been playing more, and my game is in a really good place. Played well on the final day, which was good. I haven’t been finishing tournaments off, so having fun for the last four holes, and finishing that tournament off strongly has given me a lot of confidence going into this week.”

Westwood’s journey and his participation in the U.S. Senior Open will undoubtedly be watched with keen interest, as the golfing world continues to navigate its way through the complexities and challenges of its current landscape.