Lee Westwood was involved in a dramatic back-and-forth with a reporter after the LIV Golf star was frustrated by questions regarding the upcoming trial.
Westwood took part in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth as one of a number of LIV Golf players to do so. The lucrative and wholly controversial LIV Golf series is funded by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund and it has divided golf, leaving the PGA and DP World Tours fractured after the new series poached some of the sports biggest names.
Players who have joined the LIV Golf series - bankrolled by a Saudi Arabian regime renowned for their human rights abuses - were handed immediate and indefinite bans from the PGA Tour. The DP World Tour have implied they will fine the rebels and suspend them from future events but they haven’t issued a ban just yet.
Westwood has endured a difficult run of form, suffering four cuts in eight events on the PGA Tour before joining the 48-man LIV series, finishing 29th and 16th in his first events. The 49-year-old tied for 34th at the Open Championship won by Cameron Smith before finishing ninth and fourth in further LIV events, with the most recent coming last week in Boston.
On Sunday, during the final round of the BMW PGA, the Englishman shot a seven-under 65. He was in a fairly buoyant mood, and attended press conferences following a positive reception from fans.
After his final round, Westwood was asked for a prediction on the upcoming trial between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour. The trial is scheduled for early next year, and the prickly exchange proved tensions are rising.
“Have you got any sense of how the case will go in February?” a reporter asked. “Any idea which way the wind is blowing? Your legal mind.”
“Do I look like a lawyer?” Westwood said.
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“Any discussions you’ve had?” a reporter continued.
“No, and I don’t know what everybody is after, either, because there’s mixed messages coming from everybody,” Westwood added. “So no, leave you to it.”
Before the trial arrives, Westwood will play in LIV’s final four events and he revealed he is unsure when he would next play on the DP World Tour. Once the LIV Golf tour wraps up for the 2022 season at the end of next month, Westwood admitted he may not play again until 2023.
“You know, I honestly don’t know,” Westwood continued. “It gives me options, doesn’t it? I might play a couple in there.
“I mean, I’m the kind of player that needs to tick over a little bit, but just recently, I’ve been taking four weeks off and then finishing fourth last week and played well this week. I can just play it by ear.”
