Lee Westwood says he doesn’t care what people think.
And he said a Rory McIlroy thought “wasn’t well thought out.”
Westwood’s thoughts on thoughts came Thursday, after first-round play at LIV Golf’s season-ending event in Indianapolis. Westwood and LIV teammate Laurie Canter were appearing on the post-round show of TNT Sports UK & Ireland, and Westwood had been asked whether he expected “a bit of stick” for his invite to the DP World Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, set for early October. Westwood’s appearance will be his first on the formerly named European Tour since January 2023, and it comes after he recently paid fines levied by the DP World Tour for his play with LIV.
In response to the question, Westwood said: “I really don’t care what people think, to be perfectly honest.
“I think it illustrates the fact that people like LIV players playing in their events. You know, promoters and sponsors, no matter which tour they’re on — they bring quality to tournaments.”
At this point in his answer — a video of which TNT Sports shared on social media — Westwood noted comments from McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler on Wednesday at the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship.
“I heard Rory’s comments yesterday,” Westwood said on TNT Sports. “I thought Scottie answered the question well, and Rory’s answer was just typical of Rory, really. It wasn’t well thought out.
“There’s a lot of players on this tour who bring value to tournaments.”
McIlroy’s and Scheffler’s thoughts had come in response to a question of whether certain LIV players should be allowed back onto the PGA Tour, after LIV attempts to regroup after the loss of its primary backer, the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund. The exit has led to speculation on whether LIV players would stick with the league after this week, or look into avenues to play on the Tour, the circuit on which most of the pros had once played.
“I think when we talk about the best players, LIV has a few players that are really good,” Scheffler said. “I think the depth that we have on our Tour is a bit unmatched, but I think when you look at the higher levels of LIV Golf, there’s definitely some players that would provide a lot of value to the Tour, and guys that I love competing against as well.
“So I think going forward, there obviously has to be, I think, some sort of penalties. What those are, I’ll let [PGA Tour CEO Brian] Rolapp and all those guys figure it out. We have great leadership within the Tour now. But I think having those guys come back and competing with whatever happens with LIV, whether those guys want to leave; I mean, you got to ask them. But I think for me being able to compete against the best players in the world, there’s certainly some guys on that tour that can compete out here and I look forward to the chance to compete with them more often.”
McIlroy’s answer was shorter.
“I mean, I’d argue, have they brought value to LIV? You know?” he said.
“I think the PGA Tour’s in a really good spot.”
Later in his press conference, McIlroy was asked whether the Tour would be helped by having a pair of specific LIV pros — two-time major winners Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm — among its players as it looks toward media rights negotiations. In January, they had been offered, along with Brooks Koepka and Cam Smith, a deal to leave LIV and return to the Tour under a number of stipulations, but only Koepka accepted it.
“Eventually, yeah, maybe,” McIlroy said in response to the question. “But I don’t think it’s — I mean, look, eventually they will.
“Look, if they play the golf and they, you know, I’m pretty sure — I’m not part of these discussions, but I’m pretty sure they’re not going to be welcomed back straight away. If they were offered this returning member program back in February, the one that Brooks took, then, yeah, maybe. But that has sort of come and gone. And I think it was said at the time that the deal that they might get going forward, if they do decide to come back, isn’t going to be as good as the one that Brooks got. So, yeah, I would say it’s going to be a tough, tough road back.”
Both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf events run through Sunday. Westwood is also scheduled to make his debut next week on the Legends Tour, the DP World Tour’s 50-and-over circuit.
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