"I prefer to get my legs out" - LIV Golfer Lee Westwood bashes restrictive PGA Tour rules at the Senior US Open
Lee Westwood is making his senior debut playing the U.S. Senior Open at Newport Country Club in Rhode Island. Westwood stated that the differences between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour Champions are not that many, except for a detail of the outfit.
Westwood gave statements to the press after his first round at the U.S. Senior Open. The Englishman said that playing in pants bothers him more than competing in a 72-hole tournament.
This was part of what Lee Westwood said (via Golf Monthly):
"I think I can manage it [playing 72 holes]. It’s playing in trousers that’s bothering me more. 72 holes won’t be a problem. Like I say, it’s looking down and seeing my legs in trousers. I prefer to get my legs out."
He added:
"If you notice most of the guys wear shorts in practice. You can see how many people are comfortable, especially when it gets a bit warm putting a pair the shorts on."
Lee Westwood qualified for the U.S. Senior Open Championship as he was part of the European team for the Ryder Cup in one of the last five editions of the event (2021). The Englishman is banned from the PGA Tour Champions due to playing in LIV Golf since 2022.
Westwood has had a long career in professional golf, which began in 1993. He has won 44 tournaments, two of them on the PGA Tour (1998 Freeport-McDermott Classic, 2010 St. Jude Classic) and 25 on the DP World Tour.
He has never won a major, but has finished in 21 Top 10s, including three second-place finishes (the Masters 2010, The Open Championship 2010, and the Masters 2016).
Lee Westwood has played in 11 editions of the Ryder Cup representing Europe, with seven victories.
A look at Lee Westwood's first round at the U.S. Senior Open
Lee Westwood played the first round of the US Senior Open for a score of 4 under 66. His performance included one eagle, four birdies, and two bogeys. This placed him in T5 at the end of the first day.
Westwood will start the second round of the event at 1:54 pm (Eastern Time) from hole 10. He will play in a group that also includes Jerry Kelly and Miguel Angel Jimenez.
The event was led by Richard Green after 18 holes, with a score of 7 under. As the second round progressed, Steve Striker and Hiroyuki Fujita overtook the Australian and lead with a score of 8 under. However, Green has not yet started his round this Friday.
A few weeks ago, another LIV Golf member, Richard Bland, won the Senior PGA Championship, also in his PGA Tour Champions debut. However, the circuit refused to grant him his card due to his membership in the breakaway league.