"There’s only one loser and that’s the fans" - Lee Westwood calls for unification of LIV Golf and PGA Tour
Lee Westwood recently called for the unification of LIV Golf and the PGA Tour. He said that fans are the only losers due to the divide in professional golf.
Westwood was one of the earliest to join the Saudi-backed circuit two years ago. He is one of the captains of the Majesticks GC and recently tied for third at LIV Golf Nashville. This week, he is in Newport, Rhode Island, for the US Senior Open.
During the pre-event press conference at Newport Country Club on Tuesday, June 25, Westwood expressed his opinion regarding the PGA Tour-PIF deal. He said as per ASAP Sports:
"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. We need to somehow figure a way to get the best players playing against each other more often."
Two years ago, many top names, besides Lee Westwood, decided to move to the much more lucrative LIV Golf league, which was backed by Saudi Arabia's PIF. As a result, the PGA Tour banned them from participating in its events in the future. Since then, LIV and PGA Tour golfers have only competed together during the four majors.
"I think, when you look at the US Open two weeks ago or the Masters or the PGA Championship," Westwood continued. "People are happy to see Bryson or Cam or Jon Rahm coming and playing 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," he added.
Since the inception of LIV Golf, two of the eight majors have been won by Saudi-backed circuit professionals. Brooks Koepka won the PGA Championship last year and Bryson DeChambeau became the latest US Open champion.
What's next for Lee Westwood?
Lee Westwood is set to make his US Senior Open debut this week. The Senior US Open Championship will take place from Thursday, June 27 to Sunday, June 30 at Newport Golf Club in Rhode Island.
Lee Westwood earned his spot in the US Senior Open field for being part of the 2021 Ryder Cup team. He is grouped with Jerry Kelly and Miguel Angel Jiménez for the first round. The trio will tee off from the first hole on Thursday at 8:24 am ET.
Richard Bland, another LIV Golf player, is also competing this week. He qualified for the Newport event after claiming the Senior PGA Championship last month. With this victory, he became the first golfer from the Saudi-backed circuit to win a senior major.