LIV Golf star Lee Westwood has broken his silence following his resignation of his DP World Tour membership after almost 30 years on the Wentworth-based circuit.
Westwood joined fellow European stalwarts in Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Richard Bland in quitting the DP World Tour due to sanctions handed to the LIV rebels on the back of joining the Saudi-backed series. It signals a sad end for Westwood and co, who have been stalwarts of the European game during their careers.
The trio of Poulter, Garcia and Poulter had been mainstays in Europe's Ryder Cup setup, having played a huge role in one of the continent's most successful periods over their American rivals in recent years.
Following the news of his Tour resignation on Wednesday, the Englishman has admitted he has been left 'sad' with how his European golf career has come to an end. "I was a kid when I played my first European event – the Madeira Islands Open in 1994 when I won about £3,000 for finishing tied 19th," he told the Telegraph.
"I’ve had amazing times, including all those Ryder Cups... I wouldn’t change those years for the world and feel I made a contribution to the tour. I’m not great on stats but I must have played something like 600 events, won more than 20 titles, and three Order of Merits.
"So no, I never would have believed it had ended like this and there has to be a bit of sadness, of course.” Despite the sadness there has been little sympathy for Westwood and co, with LIV's critics claiming those who made the Saudi switch knew the consequences that would follow.
The Englishman however disagrees. "People say I knew exactly what would happen, but nobody told us the extent of the punishments,” he added. “And they continue to do that. The way I view it is that, as a European Tour member, I was allowed to be a member of the PGA Tour without any problem for all those years.
"Tell me, what is the difference? Just because LIV is funded by the Saudis – a country where my tour used to play and where we were encouraged to play? I’ve been a dual member of the European Tour and PGA Tour, but always said I was a European Tour member first and foremost and that I had fears about the US circuit basically being bullies and doing everything it could to secure global dominance. Check my old quotes, it’s all there."
On the back of quitting, there is seemingly no love lost between Westwood and the DP World Tour, who he now believes is a 'feeder tour' to their allies at the PGA Tour under the guidance of CEO Keith Pelley.
"In my opinion, the European Tour has jumped fully in bed with the PGA Tour and even though Keith [Pelley] says he hates to hear it, it is now a feeder tour for the PGA Tour...
"I don’t want to talk about other LIV players who might not be eligible anymore, but there will be so much experience lost now, all because the tour has gone into bed with the PGA Tour. That’s not the way it was. And not the way I think it should be. Like I said, it’s time for me to move on.”
