Lee Westwood Blasts Golf Establishment Ahead of The Open at Portrush
You know, when Lee Westwood speaks, people in the golfing world still listen. And ahead of his return to a major championship at Royal Portrush, he’s not holding back. At 52, Westwood has nothing left to prove—yet still plenty to say. And what he's saying right now is causing a serious stir.
This is Westwood’s 28th Open Championship appearance, and it comes after a dramatic journey through Final Qualifying, all while juggling LIV Golf commitments and barely catching sleep between flights. That alone says a lot about his drive—literally and figuratively. But beyond his competitive spirit, what’s really making headlines is his brutal honesty about the state of the game and his former allegiance: the DP World Tour.
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Westwood didn’t mince words when talking about what he sees as hypocrisy and double standards. Despite resigning from the Tour after the arbitration ruling in 2023, he was still approached by the Tour’s media team for promotional content. “I’m banned,” he says, “and yet they still want my help?” It’s both ironic and, as he puts it, laughable.
He also touched on the painful realization that his long-held dream of captaining a Ryder Cup team is now out of reach—simply because he joined LIV. What frustrates him most, though, is seeing other players who rejected LIV only because the money wasn’t quite right, and yet they’re still being embraced by the Tour. “How does that work?” Westwood asks—fairly, too.
Still, he isn’t bitter. He’s just blunt. For Westwood, the move to LIV was about opportunity, change, and securing a future. And whether people agree with him or not, he’s consistent in his stance. He believes there’s space for all tours—PGA, DP World, and LIV—to coexist in a 52-week season. But as he puts it, the old guard is too busy protecting its turf to consider cooperation.
Even now, as he fights off suggestions of retirement and admits golf takes a back seat to family more often these days, he’s still chasing the dream. His eyes are quietly locked on the Claret Jug. Why else would a man fly from Dallas to Scotland, play 36 holes on no sleep, and put himself through that grind? There’s still a fire there. And there’s still belief.
So here he is, back at The Open, playing with a mix of freedom and defiance, enjoying golf on his own terms while throwing a spotlight on the sport's fractures. Whether or not he makes the leaderboard, Lee Westwood has already made his mark—again.
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