"Didn’t hear you moaning then!" - Lee Westwood sounds off on pundit for criticism of LIV Golfers' 'growing the game' comments

Lee Westwood has come out in support of LIV Golf following criticism from golf analyst Michael Breed that the Saudi Arabian circuit isn't doing enough to advance the game.

Breed recently expressed his thoughts on LIV Golf on his X (formerly Twitter) account. He stated that he has no problem with LIV paying players a huge sum of money to participate in their circuit. However, he disagreed with their assertions that their efforts would grow the game.

"I don’t care about the pay. It’s the 'growing the game' lie that bothers me," Breed tweeted.

Lee Westwood, who joined the Saudi circuit last year, jumped to the comments section to criticize the pundit. He outlined the evolution of the PGA Tour in the 1990s, following their acquisition of television rights and their decision to put up prize money to entice the world's best golfers. Westwood commented:

"In the late 90s, when the @PGATOUR got a new tv deal, put prize money up, enticed top players from around the world thus collecting max OWGR, extending their season making it impossible to play around the world. Didn’t hear you moaning about growing the game/or lack of then!"

This comes on the heels of another top-ranked PGA Tour player making a switch to LIV Golf. Earlier this week, current World No. 3 Jon Rahm signed a deal, reportedly worth around $566.4 million, with the Saudi circuit.

A look into Lee Westwood's 2023 LIV Golf season

Lee Westwood did not have a great LIV golf season in 2023. He finished in 45th place in the LIV Golf standings and recorded just three top-20 finishes.

Westwood started the second edition of the series by finishing 41st in Mayakoba in early 2023. He slipped down two positions on the leaderboard at the Tucson event, where he finished in 43rd place. Westwood's best finish was in Jedda, where he finished 17th.

Here are the results of all tournaments Lee Westwood played on LIV Golf in 2023:

Mayakoba: 41
Tucson: 43
Orlando: 20
Adelaide: 36
Singapore: 39
Tulsa: 49
Andalucía: 28
London: 38
Greenbrier: 19
Bedminster: 48
Chicago: 43
Jeddah: 17

Despite his average 2023 season, Lee Westwood is one of the most successful golfers in the world. He is one of a select few to have triumphed in competitions across five continents.

His professional journey began in 1992, and he played on the European and PGA Tours before joining LIV Golf. Westwood has won 44 professional tournaments so far, including two on the PGA Tour and 25 on the European Tour. He has also won tournaments on the Japan Tour, Asian Tour, Sunshine Tour, and PGA Tour of Australasia.

At the peak of his career, Westwood reached the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Rankings. He was awarded the European Tour Golfer of the Year award in 1998, 2000, 2009, and 2020.