Lee Westwood is not playing golf right now because he has no contract. The 53-year-old English star told Sky Sports on Tuesday that he is currently “unemployed.” He also confirmed he has not signed a deal for the new LIV 2.0 tour set to launch in 2027. This is a rare moment of total uncertainty for a player who once held the world number one spot. The league itself is in trouble after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund pulled its support, according to UA.NEWS. Westwood says the terms offered for the relaunch did not work for him.
Westwood rejects the new deal
According to Sky Sports, the ex-world number one stated LIV 2.0 failed to offer him “anything agreeable” regarding the league’s planned 2027 relaunch. He noted that details of the new format still need more work. Although Westwood joined LIV Golf in 2022 alongside other major players, the series now appears uncertain for its future. The league filed for bankruptcy protection last month after the fund invested more than $5 billion, UA.NEWS reported. Westwood believes the project could succeed only if costs drop and enough players sign up. Discussions regarding his return to the DP World Tour have not occurred on his part.
The Ryder Cup choice he owns
Westwood knows his decision to join LIV cost him a chance to captain Team Europe. He revealed on The Chipping Forecast podcast that he was offered the role for the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome. He asked DP World Tour chief Guy Kinnings if he could still be captain if he went to LIV. “They didn’t say no, but it was made clear that there would be very little chance of it, and I made the decision to go to LIV,” Westwood said, according to Sky Sports. He later told Yahoo Sports, “But we make calls in life, you make a choice, and I have no regrets over the choice I made there.” He admitted the captaincy was not the be-all and end-all for him.
A long wait to return
If Westwood decides to come back to the DP World Tour, he faces a steep climb. He must serve a 10-tournament suspension for giving up his tour membership, per UA.NEWS. Reinstatement of his membership on November 12 would still prevent him from competing until the Turkey tournament in May. Other stars like Jon Rahm, Sergio Garcia, and Ian Poulter have already left the Saudi-backed league. Rahm detailed his departure following an October agreement to terminate his collaboration with the series.
