Lee Westwood says Rory McIlroy's latest comment on LIV Golf "wasn't well thought out" and was "typical of Rory" in the latest disagreement between the two.

The subject of LIV Golf, fines and suspensions from the DP World Tour and other issues have been a source of tension between McIlroy and Westwood on a few occasions.

McIlroy spoke about the value LIV players held in response to a question about possible returns to the PGA Tour, and as usual it stirred up emotions on both sides.

Scottie Scheffler disagreed with the sentiment, while Bryson DeChambeau seemed to aim a retort while discussing LIV's future in Indianapolis - where Westwood also had his say.

"I heard Rory's comments yesterday," Westwood told TNT Sports at LIV Golf Indianapolis.

"I thought Scottie [Scheffler] answered the question well and Rory's answer was just typical of Rory really, it wasn't well thought out."

Westwood and LIV teammate Ian Poulter have been given invites to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship as they make their DP World Tour return after over three years away.

LIV players have been taking up spots in DP World Tour events with doubts remaining over the team tour, and Westwood points to the Alfred Dunhil and the plethora of LIV golfers getting invites as an example of their quality.

"I really don't care what people think to be perfectly honest," Westwood added. "I think it illustrates the fact that people like LIV players playing in their events. Promoters and sponsors, no matter which tour they're on, they bring quality to tournaments.

"There's a lot of players on this tour that bring a lot of value to tournaments and the Alfred Dunhill is a point in question where I think Johann Rupert's got something like 26, 27 invites and he's given them to, I think, 25 people off LIV have got invites so that just shows you that LIV players do bring value to tournaments."

Westwood still upset with 'ridiculous fines'

Westwood and Poulter both paid their DP World Tour fines, reported to be over $1m, and could rejoin the DP World Tour in November after each resigned their memberships in 2023 and previously said they had no desire to return.

Both still disagree with the fines, but decided to pay them now while they're still indemnified by the Saudi PIF.

The DP World Tour is expected to resume fines and suspensions for members playing in LIV Golf events next year, so there could be more trouble if LIV 2.0 goes ahead.

For now, though, Westwood - who has also confirmed he'll make his Legends Tour debut at August's Staysure English Legends tournament at Chart Hills - is happy to return to the Alfred Dunhill.

"I've won that tournament and I supported it, I played practically every one until I was forced to give up my membership on the European Tour because of the ridiculous fines," said Westwood, who hasn't played on the DP World Tour since January 2023 and last played in the Alfred Dunhill back in 2019.

The popular Englishman will no doubt be a big draw up at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns for the Alfred Dunhill, and time will tell if it's the first step back towards a DP World Tour return or not.

Lee Westwood will make his Legends Tour debut after being confirmed in the field for next week's Staysure English Legends at Chart Hills in Kent.

The former World No.1, now 53, is able to play on the DP World Tour-affiliated circuit after paying his $1m+ fines for competing in the LIV Golf League.

The move opens him up to playing events on the circuit formerly known as the European Senior Tour, including the Senior Open - which takes place at Royal Porthcawl next year.

Westwood and his fellow Majesticks GC teammate Ian Poulter finally paid their fines this summer and could re-join the European circuit in November at the start of the 2027 campaign.

The pair of Ryder Cup legends will make their first DP World Tour starts since January 2023 in October after it was confirmed they will tee it up in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

Staysure English Legends

The three-day over 50s event features the likes of 2005 US Open champion Michael Campbell, Paul McGinley and many recognizable former DP World Tour names.

Steve Webster will defend the title he won last year, when he birdied the 18th hole to beat Keith Horne and Bradley Dredge by a single stroke.

There will also be a fourball match for fans to watch prior to the pro-am on Thursday, with Campbell partnering former Premier League footballer and TV personality Jimmy Bullard up against McGinley and YouTube star Peter Finch. Spectators can attend free of charge

“I’m looking forward to playing the Staysure English Legends Tournament at Chart Hills and making my first appearance on the Staysure Legends Tour," Westwood said.

"There’ll be a lot of familiar faces there, guys I’ve played with and against for a long time, so it should be a good week.

“I’ve always enjoyed playing in front of a home crowd. The support you get in England is always great, so it’ll be nice to get out there at Chart Hills and hopefully give everyone something to enjoy.”

Ryan Howsam, Chairman of the Staysure Legends Tour, said: “To welcome a player of Lee’s calibre to the Staysure Legends Tour is hugely exciting. He has been one of the defining figures in European golf for more than three decades and his record at the very highest level speaks for itself.

“From reaching World Number One and winning around the world to representing Europe in 11 Ryder Cups, Lee has achieved an enormous amount in the game.

“To have him make his debut at the Staysure English Legends makes it even more special. It gives fans the opportunity to see one of England’s greatest players begin this next chapter on home soil, and we’re looking forward to welcoming him to Chart Hills.”

Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood have been confirmed for their first DP World Tour starts in well over three years.

The pair of Ryder Cup legends will both tee it up in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in October, marking their first appearances on the European circuit since the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January 2023.

The LIV stars have both paid their DP World Tour fines, reported to be north of $1m, and could be set to rejoin the tour in November after each resigning their memberships the year after their controversial LIV moves in 2022.

"The fines were always going to be paid at some point, and that was down to myself and Lee to choose when that time was right," Ian Poulter said last month.

“Just to follow on from what Ian said, what it does is gives us options having them paid,” Westwood said.

“When the current financial backers [Saudi PIF] of the tour [LIV Golf] are talking about pulling out and we're being indemnified, it just makes sense to get them paid straight away before they do pull out. That's really why we had them paid when we did.

“But I still don't agree with the fines because we are being completely treated differently to the people playing on this tour. I think the fines were excessive, as well, when you consider what other people did and how much they got fined historically.”

Rejoining the DP World Tour would allow the pair to earn Ryder Cup points and return to playing on the circuit, as well as entry into the Senior Open, which is co-run by the tour.

They would not be allowed to be selected as Ryder Cup captains as things stand, though, due to a rule that any player who abandons their membership for any reason can no longer be eligible for a leadership position in the Europe vs USA match.

This was reiterated to Golf Monthly by a DP World Tour spokesperson, who added: "Under our current regulations, even if they were to rejoin as members, neither can serve as a Captain or Vice Captain in the Ryder Cup."

Both men were expected to one day lead Team Europe, but that will not happen unless the rules change.

The DP World Tour is expected to resume fining and sanctioning its members for playing in LIV Golf events next year, so that could alter their plans if the new-look LIV 2.0 goes ahead.

The circuit has a 'lead investor' for a 10-event schedule in 2027 but uncertainty remains with speculation over Jon Rahm's future and the commitment of other star players.

A strong Dunhill Links field

As well as the Majesticks GC stars, a number of other big names have been confirmed for what will be the 25th Dunhill Links Championship.

Tommy Fleetwood will headline the field alongside 2022 Open champion at St Andrews, Cameron Smith, and Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick.

Bubba Watson is also set to play, as are defending champion Robert MacIntyre, three-time winner Tyrrell Hatton, Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald and three-time Major winner Padraig Harrington.

Home favorites Grant Forrest, Connor Syme, Ewen Ferguson and Calum Hill are also confirmed.

The event takes place at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns from October 1-4.

Former World No.1 Lee Westwood believes the DP World Tour is not "at the same level it was 20 years ago."

The 25-time DP World Tour winner began his pro career on the European circuit in 1993 and ultimately ascended to the summit of the sport with continued success on the Wentworth-based tour alongside a couple of triumphs on the PGA Tour.

Much of Westwood's heyday was split between the two biggest circuits in the world before he opted to join the newly-formed LIV Golf League in 2022, going on to co-captain Majesticks GC alongside Ian Poulter.

With over 30 years experience in professional golf, the 53-year-old has witnessed a great deal of change in golf, including the majority of top European talent going over to the US for much of their regular season rather than sticking around on their home continent.

Not only that, but Westwood has watched the PGA Tour and DP World Tour move on from being rivals to lopsided partners.

Since 2020, the two tours have been part of a strategic alliance, with the DP World Tour losing ten of its leading players to the PGA Tour for much of the subsequent campaign.

And, since 2022, when the initial deal was extended amid the launch of LIV, the PGA Tour has owned 40% of European Tour Productions - up from 15% previously.

The knock-on result of the PGA Tour gaining greater control, according to many people including Westwood, is a far weaker product on the European side compared to years gone by.

Speaking to Golf Monthly's Baz Plummer, Westwood said of his former tour: "I don’t think it’s in the position that it was.

"I don’t think you can give your ten best assets every year to basically your rival, the people that have been trying to put you out of business for the last 25 or 30 years.

"There are some big events – don’t get me wrong – but in general, I don’t think it’s at the same level it was 20 years ago."

And what about the PGA Tour? Westwood has been openly critical of the way modern pro golf is set up in the past but admitted the historic US circuit has plenty of strengths - especially for American golfers.

However, the Englishman shared he grew tired of the States in the end and longed for variety from the game - something he feels is on offer with LIV Golf.

Westwood said: "I enjoyed playing the PGA Tour. The events are great over there. They’re big and they’re shiny. I just felt like I wanted to play in front of other people, not just in America.

"I wanted to play in front of Australians and Japanese and South Africans, and sample those cultures. It gets a bit boring when you’re doing the same thing week in, week out.

"That’s the downside of the PGA Tour. Every tournament feels the same. Whereas if you travel the world, and you’re playing in different countries and on different continents with different cultures, that is more stimulating for me."

You can read the full interview with Westwood in this month's edition of the Golf Monthly magazine, which is on sale now.

Ahead of the LIV Golf United Kingdom event at JCB Golf Club, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter revealed the reasoning behind their decision to settle the fines they owed to the DP World Tour.

The Majesticks co-captains joined LIV Golf for its controversial inception back in June 2022 and racked up fines for playing in competing events without permission from what was formerly the European Tour.

They eventually resigned their memberships in 2023 to avoid incurring more financial penalties but have now settled their debts.

Explaining why, Poulter said: “The fines were always going to be paid at some point, and that was down to myself and Lee to choose when that time was right.

“Look, the European Tour and LIV Golf and the acceptance of it all, it's all in a very different position today than what it was four years ago when we were being fined the way we were. There are no fines in place today for guys that are playing on LIV Golf, and that's a massive change.

“When you look certainly how Jon [Rahm] and Tyrrell [Hatton] were treated back in the day, to still be able to play European Tour golf and play in Ryder Cups. Look, things are moving forward in the right direction.”

Does this mean Poulter will some DP World Tour events to his schedule in the future?

“I'm not sure yet, to be honest with you,” he added. “I'm still hopeful that things work out in the right way for me to play a number of different tournaments at different times.

“My exemptions are being burnt year in, year out right now which is unfortunate because they took the opportunity in November, if you didn't rejoin they would reduce your exemption years year in, year out. It's a shame they did that. It's a shame they devalued the legends category from 5A to 11A, which isn't helpful to get in certain tournaments.

“We'll see. If some of the tournaments directors would really like me to go and play in their tournament and it doesn't compete, they know my number. I've played those tournaments before. If they want to give me a call, then let's have a chat.”

Westwood had always been fairly adamant he would not pay his fines to the DP World Tour, but that was before Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund decided to stop backing LIV Golf at the end of this season.

“Just to follow on from what Ian said, what it does is gives us options having them paid,” Westwood said. “When the current financial backers of the tour are talking about pulling out and we're being indemnified, it just makes sense to get them paid straight away before they do pull out. That's really why we had them paid when we did.

“But I still don't agree with the fines because we are being completely treated differently to the people playing on this tour. I think the fines were excessive, as well, when you consider what other people did and how much they got fined historically.”

There are few players still at the top level of golf who have both seen and achieved as much as Lee Westwood.

The man who now co-captains Majesticks GC in the LIV Golf League began his career as a professional back in 1993 when the sport was a world away from its modern state.

He emerged as a promising pro on the European Tour before ultimately going on to win 44 times, twice become World No.1 and compete in 11 Ryder Cups.

Remarkably, Westwood's pro career began long before many of his rivals were even born. Yet, because of that incredibly longevity, the Englishman has witnessed plenty of change in the sport - both good and bad.

A key area which has been adjusted to an almost unrecognizable level relates to equipment.

Driver heads are bigger and more forgiving, irons are easier to hit and wedges give players more spin and control than ever before. Forgiveness has also moved on leaps and bounds with putters, too.

For the humble amateur, these advancements in technology are widely considered to be a positive as the game has become slightly less frustrating and more enjoyable.

However, for the top pros in the game, it has squeezed fields much closer together and ensured the truly great ball-strikers are unable to stand out as easily as they once did.

Discussing the significant advancement in golf technology since he started playing, Westwood admitted to Golf Monthly's Baz Plummer he's not 100% sure the game is in a better place because of it.

Westwood said: "I think there are a couple of different ways of looking at this. I think from an amateur’s point of view, it does make the game easier for them, which has got to be more enjoyable and, at the end of the day, golf is entertainment.

"But from a professional point of view, for example, a great driver of the golf ball in the 1990s would have had a significant advantage and that advantage has been taken away with the size of the driver head and the golf ball advancements.

"You don’t have to hit it in the middle any more to be a good driver of the golf ball, which to me is wrong."

While golf clubs have undoubtedly progressed since the early 90s, the same is very much true for golf balls.

The subject of how far golf balls travel is under intense scrutiny at the moment given the average distance off the tee on the PGA Tour has increased around 13 yards over the past 10 years and roughly 40 yards since Westwood turned pro in 1993.

As a result, a golf ball rollback has been very much on the agenda of the sport's leading governing bodies for over a year now, with plans to introduce a change in testing no earlier than 2030.

The bottom line, as far as bodies like the USGA and The R&A are concerned, is the ball is being struck too far and something must be done in order to protect the sport's integrity as well as the planet is uses.

The subject itself is quite controversial and no one seems to really have a clear correct answer in terms of how best to solve the issue.

Even Westwood wasn't sure on what exactly should be done, with the 53-year-old simply hoping whatever is done it doesn't penalize amateurs.

Westwood said: "Well, the long players will still be long, won’t they, when the rollback happens? Golf courses can’t keep being made longer. It’s something that needs to change so we can still go and play great golf courses.

"If you’re looking for one of the most famous golf courses in the world, the Old Course at St Andrews, where we’ve been going back to the last few years, there are some guys who have been looking at that golf course thinking, 'I can drive six of these par 4s and overpower the golf course.'

"You can’t keep putting tees back in fields. So, yes, something has to change. I just hope they don’t make it too difficult for the amateur golfer."

After breaking away and joining LIV Golf, both Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood racked up hefty fines with the DP World Tour.

That infringement dates back to June 2022, when they first played a LIV Golf event, with every DP World Tour event they missed from then on through to 2023, when they resigned from the circuit, adding to their punishment.

Throughout that period, both Poulter and Westwood vehemently refused to pay the fines, deeming them unfair.

In recent weeks, however, the news of LIV Golf's future has left its players in limbo and, consequently, it appears that Poulter and Westwood are ready to make amends.

First reported by Golfweek, a spokesperson from the DP World Tour confirmed that both players had "settled the fines imposed on them".

It is thought Poulter's fines amounted to roughly $1.1 million, with Westwood's figure expected to be in the same region.

In the past, Poulter refused to let PIF pay his fines, stating: "If I personally wouldn't pay the fines myself, why would I certainly put my business partner in that position?"

Westwood had added: "I'm not paying them because I disagree with the way they've been handed out."

The pair even brought the case before the Sport Resolutions body in the UK, but it was determined the fines were fair.

There are many in the game who would like to see LIV Golfers start at the bottom if they return to the PGA Tour if the league folds; whatever the route back into the game for Poulter and Westwood, it looks like they've at least opened the door to the DP World Tour once more.

They will have to serve suspensions, which are thought to add up to around 10 weeks, but after that they should be free to rejoin the circuit.

There is one thing they will likely never get back, though, and that is the chance to become Ryder Cup captains.

A rule established by the DP World Tour in 2017 dictated that any player who abandons their membership for any reason can no longer be eligible for a leadership position in the Ryder Cup.

This was reiterated by the DP World Tour spokesperson, who added: "Under our current regulations, even if they were to rejoin as members, neither can serve as a Captain or Vice Captain in the Ryder Cup."

Lee Westwood is within touching distance of claiming what he says would “probably be the best win of my career,” as the former World No.1 goes into the final round of LIV Golf Singapore tied for the lead with Joaquin Niemann.

The Majesticks co-captain fired a third-round 68 at Sentosa Golf Club to get to 10-under, which puts him bang in contention to win a first individual tournament title since the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at the start of 2020.

The 52-year-old, who is still recovering from a wrist injury, has won 44 times around the world but has never tasted victory in Singapore, something he hopes to put right on Sunday.

Asked what a victory would mean to him at this stage of his career, the Englishman said it would rank very highly given that he’s now battling players aged 30 years younger.

“I’m 53 on the 24th of April, so at that stage, it would probably be the best win of my career,” he said.

“I normally go back to the '97 Australian Open beating Greg Norman in a playoff as certainly my favorite win, and then obviously winning at Sun City with my wife carrying my golf bag. I have to then say that that's one of my favorite wins or she clips me around the ear.

“But all of my wins have special memories. But to still be competitive at my age and up there and having chances to win tournaments like this is validation for driving myself on and doing all the hard work and practice that nobody sees and still being competitive, like I say, and having a good enough game to compete against them.”

Westwood, who has won 25 times on the DP World Tour and twice on the PGA Tour, goes into the final round hoping to get the better of one of LIV Golf’s strongest players.

Niemann is a multiple winner on the circuit, and Westwood will need to be at his best to land the title, especially with Major champions Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm one shot and three shots back, respectively.

Despite being the underdog, Westwood is clearly relishing being back in the mix.

“I've always been fiercely competitive,” he added. “I find a competition in anything I'm doing, and now I'm at an age where it's about getting in there and showing the younger lads that I can still do it and shaking it up a bit.

“They could be under pressure a bit tomorrow with an old man like me staring them down, or they might just relax and play well. You never know.”

The eight LIV Golf stars who were stranded in Dubai ahead of the upcoming event in Hong Kong are reportedly clear of the danger zone now.

The group, which includes Lee Westwood, Laurie Canter, Thomas Detry, Sam Horsfield, Anirban Lahiri, Tom McKibbin, Adrian Meronk and Caleb Surratt, were practicing in the Middle East over the past week in preparation for the latest LIV Golf event.

When the USA and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, multiple zones in the region were put on lockdown, with airport closures impacting many people in Dubai and other Middle Eastern countries.

Flushing It Golf was the first to report on the situation involving the LIV players on Tuesday afternoon, posting an update on Twitter/X.

Surratt had confirmed to the Golf Channel on Tuesday that he was indeed stranded after heading to Dubai from Australia but that he was hoping a plan was in place to resolve the matter within "the next 12 hours".

All the players had flights booked, but had thus far been unable to leave Dubai. But now, it appears the situation has been resolved.

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, reports circulated that the golfers had found a way to fly to Hong Kong in time for the event.

Then, later in the day, Adrian Meronk himself confirmed via Twitter/X that he had touched down in Hong Kong, sharing a photo from the course with a bucket of balls and a club in his hand.

He posted with the caption: "Safely made it to Hong Kong, thank you everyone that helped to reach and thank you for your messages and concerns. Stay safe everyone in UAE and I hope I can home soon."

There has been no official confirmation yet on the status of the other players, and it is not clear exactly how Meronk made it to Hong Kong. But, according to GOLF.com Editor Alan Bastable, Jon Rahm may have been at the heart of the rescue mission.

Bastable also shared an update on social media, writing: "Just learned the LIV players stranded in the Middle East have arrived safely in Hong Kong on a private jet commissioned by their LIV stablemate Jon Rahm."

He added that the source who gave him that information had asked to remain anonymous but was "close to the situation."

Meanwhile, further information came from the South China Morning Post, with a report there claiming updates had intentionally been kept to a minimum over the past 24 hours in order to protect those fleeing Dubai.

That report also states Rahm was involved in helping get the golfers out of Oman, after they managed to get a bus across the border from Dubai. A source there described “a coordinated effort between the league and the teams” to resolve the situation.

Golf Monthly has contacted LIV Golf for comment.

Majesticks GC co-captain Lee Westwood has announced he will miss the opening two events of the new LIV Golf League season.

The PIF-backed circuit is due to kick off its 2026 campaign on Wednesday evening in Saudi Arabia with LIV Golf Riyadh, but the event is already suffering from a lack of star power which has become gradually worse over the past few days.

Not only has LIV Golf lost Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed to the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, respectively, since the final tournament of last year, but now two of its more experienced faces will be absent.

Phil Mickelson confirmed he would not be appearing in the first couple of tournaments this season due to "a family health matter" which required him to remain in the US, and now Westwood has followed suit.

Unlike Lefty, though, the Englishman has suffered an injury and has been advised to take an additional period of time off before potentially returning to the fold in Hong Kong next month.

In a statement shared via his social media channels on Monday, Westwood revealed he has sustained a wrist injury that was picked up while preparing for the new term.

He said: "Disappointingly, I sustained an injury to my wrist while practicing in preparation for the first event of the season.

"Thankfully, it's nothing too serious. However, I've been advised to manage my rep count over the coming weeks. Therefore, I'll unfortunately be missing this month's LIV Golf events in Riyadh and Adelaide.

"I look forward to starting my season in Hong Kong and wish Majesticks Golf Club all the best under the lights & Down Under!"

In the meantime, Ian Poulter will operate as the sole captain of the all-English line-up and new signing Laurie Canter is set to make his first full start for Majesticks alongside Sam Horsfield.

The fourth member of Majesticks GC's team for Riyadh and Adelaide will be English pro, Ben Schmidt, who finished T16th at last week's Bahrain Championship on the DP World Tour.

Schmidt is a 23-year-old who became the youngest-ever champion of the Brabazon Trophy in 2019, winning by five strokes at just 16 years old.

The current World No.301 is a member of Rotherham GC in South Yorkshire, England and turned pro in May 2021 after collecting two national amateur titles and representing GB&I in the 2021 Walker Cup.

Once he does return, Westwood will begin his fifth campaign with LIV and attempt to lift a first individual or team trophy after he and Poulter signed new contracts during the off-season.

The 52-year-old narrowly avoided relegation last term, instead watching former teammate Henrik Stenson lose his spot as Poulter just about did enough to stick around via the Open Zone.

Lee Westwood has taken a swipe at Rory McIlroy over his comments on LIV Golf making the move to 72 holes from the 54 it had made its name on.

The Englishman obviously didn't take too kindly to McIlroy labelling the move to 72 holes as a "peculiar" one, saying "I don't pay too much attention to what Rory says" when appearing on talkSPORT radio's breakfast show.

In a swipe at McIlroy's opinions on golf, Westwood added: "He'll change his mind for next week."

The big change from LIV Golf has had everyone talking, with the 54-hole format one of the founding principles that set it apart from regular golf tournaments, but seemingly due to player power organisers have switched to a more usual four-round format.

Jon Rahm was quoted in the LIV Golf press release calling it a win for the players, as he's always advocated for event to be extended by 18 holes.

Team-mate Tyrrell Hatton agrees, but said that only last year the vast majority of players on LIV Golf were against moving away from 54 holes - but now most of the noises from players are positive ones.

That includes Westwood, who says it's a good move for all concerned.

"I think it was good for the players, good for the sponsors," Westwood added on talkSPORT. "And good for the fans more than anything. They get to see another day's golf."

The former World No.1 says that LIV Golf seeking Official World Golf Ranking recognition was another reason for the change, along with top players wanting more 72-hole action to prepare better for the Majors.

"I think [OWGR points] is one of the angles behind it. I think there were a few different things.

"Some of the guys focused their whole season around the Major championships. And playing 54 holes was putting them at a bit of a disadvantage.

"I think they wanted to play 72 holes - that represented more the Major championship format.

"But world rankings is one of the things on LIV's mind. I don't know whether it's in the criteria or not because there's 54-hole tournaments that got world ranking points before.

"But I think the boxes that you need to tick with the world rankings, 72 holes probably helps that."

McIlroy's observation that removing the 54-hole format from LIV Golf also removed one big differentiator from mainstream golf is ironically the same argument being made by fans of the PIF-backed tour.

Along with obviously the team format and shotgun start, playing just three rounds was given as a cornerstone for why LIV (54 in Roman numerals) was the future of the sport.

New CEO Scott O'Neil is taking a much more pragmatic approach in his tenure though, and so seems happy to make the sacrifice now for a long-term benefit.

It's obviously a thorny issue with players and fans alike though.

In a bid to fend off LIV Golf relegation, Lee Westwood has reunited with his former full-time caddie Billy Foster for the final two individual events of the season.

The legendary bagman formed a stellar partnership with Westwood for nine years between 2009-2018, during which time he rose to World No.1 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Westwood won 13 times with Foster on the bag, and finished in the top three in eight Majors during their time together - and now they'll try to combine to fend off the threat of LIV Golf relegation.

"For two weeks, and two weeks only, we're putting the band back together," read a post from the Majesticks on social media.

Foster will caddie for Westwood at the upcoming LIV Golf events in Chicago and Indianapolis as he bids to try and save his place in the league.

Westwood is down in 46th in the LIV Golf individual standings with players finishing 49th and lower relegated - which now includes team captains after a change in the rules.

The 52-year-old usually has wife Helen Storey on his bag, which included at Royal Portrush when he rolled back the years and even challenged briefly before finishing T34.

Foster split with his regular boss Matt Fitzpatrick back in March, and recently caddied for Collin Morikawa at the Genesis Scottish Open and the Open Championship - with the American missing the cut at both.

Now the 61-year-old will make his first caddying appearances in LIV Golf - and back with his old mate Westwood.

“Great to be back with the old dawg for a couple of weeks," Foster wrote on Instagram. “LIVing the dream!”

Foster, who is now officially in semi-retirement, will be thrown straight into a pressure weekend at LIV Golf Chicago at Bolingbrook Golf Club, with Westwood in need of vital points to climb the rankings.

After some concern about captains being immune from relegation, the rules were tweaked during the 2024 season, with enhanced and enforced relegation key in LIV Golf's fresh bid for OWGR points.

That means all three Majesticks co-captains are at risk currently - Henrik Stenson sits one place below Westwood in 47th while Ian Poulter is currently in the drop zone in 51st and in the most danger of relegation.

Bubba Watson finished in that same drop zone last year, but presented a business case to LIV Golf to retain a spot in the league - but a report in the Telegraph recently indicated that no such safety net would exist this time around.

It seems that this time, the pressure is on all players to try and avoid losing their spot.

With a new official bid going in from LIV Golf to get Official World Golf Ranking points, Lee Westwood again spoke about why not having recognition for his tour "makes a bit of a mockery" of the entire thing.

There are certain things LIV Golf needs to fix in order to fit the OWGR criteria, while that criteria itself may need tweaking in this new world of differing tours in global golf.

What's not in doubt is that the current OWGR doesn't reflect how good most LIV golfers are due to them not getting points for their regular team golf events - as illustrated by Westwood jumping over 3,000 places after The Open.

And Westwood thinks it devalues the ranking system, so wants to see it changed as quickly as possible.

Westwood played well at the Open Championship, finishing T34 in the end after challenging at one point, to give him his first bunch of OWGR points since 2023 - and making a landmark move up the standings as a result.

"Yeah, with my result last week in the Open Championship, I moved back above my son in the world rankings, which is nice," joked Westwood at LIV Golf UK - after leaping from 4689 to 930 in the OWGR and above son Sam (2759th).

"I think that just proves that without world ranking points it makes a bit of a mockery of the system. It's good that an application has gone back in."

Westwood says the system needs a reboot to ensure all the best players get into the Majors - and if OWGR won't budge then golf's big four need to extend their growing direct qualification spots from LIV.

"I think mainly it relates back to wanting the best players in the Major championships, not wanting this conversation where there's a few people missing out because we don't get world ranking points on LIV," Westwood added.

"We either start to get world ranking points on LIV or the Major championships have to revise their qualification system, which they seem - some of them seem to want to do but some seem reluctant to do, and they'd have to have a separate qualification system for LIV players, which I don't think anybody particularly wants. You want it all to be based off the same system.

"It has to be looked at carefully, and somebody has to come up with a - I don't know if they're going to back-date it or what, but we're all starting from a low position.

"I've only got one tournament counting on the world rankings I think and finishing mid 30s last week moved me up like 3,000 spots, which shows that there's something wrong with the system as it stands."

LIV Golf has made another bid for OWGR points almost two years after the initial application was turned down due to concerns over the lack of proper promotion and relegation and the team aspect of the competition.

And LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil said that while it's early days he's been encouraged with the dialogue with OWGR chairman Trevor Immelman.

"We have filed an application, and I'm in pretty good contact with Trevor Immelman. We have a call later this week," said O'Neil.

"He's been a good source of encouragement, push-back, debate, and we've both agreed to keep those conversations between the two of us until we take another step forward."

Lee Westwood is making his Senior PGA Championship debut this week and only his second over-50s Major appearance after last year's US Senior Open.

Westwood isn't the only LIV player in the field, either, with defending champion Richard Bland teeing it up at Congressional Country Club.

Westwood, now 52, has almost exclusively played in LIV Golf events since joining the Saudi PIF-backed circuit from its inception in 2022.

Since 2023, the Englishman has teed it up in the Asian Tour's International Series England event, which he withdrew from, as well as the 2024 US Senior Open at Newport Country Club, where he finished T31st.

In the LIV Golf League, where he co-captains the Majesticks GC team alongside Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson, the former World No.1 has a best finish of T25 in Riyadh so far this season.

His best result last year was a T3 in Nashville in a campaign where he ended 36th in the standings.

We believe Westwood received an invite into this week's field.

He'll be aiming to emulate Richard Bland's achievement last year, where the Englishman shot an eight-under-par final round at Michigan's The Club at Harbor Shores to beat Richard Green by three strokes.

Both Westwood and Bland are unable to play in the Senior Open, which takes place at Sunningdale this year, having not paid their DP World Tour fines for playing in LIV Golf events without a conflicting events release.

Westwood's fines are said to be £850,000 (around $1.136m) and that means he is unable to play in the over-50s version of the Open Championship because it is part-owned by the DP World Tour.

The only one I can't play in is the Senior British Open Championship because it's half owned by the European Tour," he told Peter Finch's Rough Cut Podcast last year.

"The R&A won't put their foot down and say 'no, this is an Open Championship. Lee and Richard Bland should be able to play.' They pander to the European Tour and say that if we pay our fines - I think my outstanding fines are at £850,000 or something like that.

"Well, I'm not paying them because I disagree with the way they've been handed out. So that's why I can't play in the Seniors Open Championship, but I think the fans lose out there, personally."

Golf has the capability of throwing up some bizarre moments and, at LIV Golf Riyadh, that's exactly what happened to the experienced Lee Westwood.

Sitting four shots off the lead, the Englishman came to the par 4 16th needing a steady finish to remain in contention but, after finding the water from his tee shot, what followed can only be described as confusing.

Pulling his tee shot into the creek, Westwood and his caddie Mick Doran found a golf ball sat in the water and, after Doran fished it out, Westwood played his third shot on to the green.

Finding the putting surface, albeit 35-feet away, the 51-year-old went to mark his golf ball but, continuing the drama, Westwood realised it was a completely different make and model and, consequently, he had violated the Model Local Rule in place for the event.

The result was another penalty shot added to his score and, after missing his bogey putt from 35-feet, Westwood tapped-in for what was eventually a double bogey, dropping him back to nine-under and six back of the leader Adrian Meronk.

Following on from the bizarre moment, Westwood then bogeyed the par 3 17th and, eventually, signed for a one-under-par 71 to sit at eight-under, eight shots back of Meronk going into the final day in Riyadh.

Regarding the rule, players are allowed to change their golf ball whenever taking relief or after finding a hazard. What's more, if Westwood's caddie had found the same model and brand in the water and Westwood had played it, it wouldn't be a violation. However, because the Englishman played a different golf ball, it meant he broke the one-ball rule.

He enjoyed a superb US Senior Open debut round of 66 where Lee Westwood credited a sharp short game, but it was the lack of shorts that he found hardest to adjust to.

Westwood hit four birdies, an eagle and two bogeys in his opening round of four under at Newport Country Club - which put him in T5 just three shots off the lead.

The Englishman is making his debut in the senior ranks despite turning 50 in April 2023, due to a combination of schedule issues and in the case of The Senior Open due to not being allowed following the fallout to his move to LIV Golf.

After making a great start, Westwood was asked if playing four rounds as opposed to the three on LIV would make a difference - but he said the rules on attire would be more of a difference.

"I think I can manage it," Westwood said about playing 72 holes. "It’s playing in trousers that’s bothering me more

"72 holes won’t be a problem. Like I say, it’s looking down and seeing my legs in trousers. I prefer to get my legs out.

"If you notice most of the guys wear shorts in practice. You can see how many people are comfortable, especially when it gets a bit warm putting a pair the shorts on."

Westwood is hoping to emulate what fellow Englishman and LIV player Richard Bland did as he won the Senior PGA Championship on his own debut in the older category.

A period of illness meant Westwood has not been at his best, and only just getting over the effects of glandular fever the last couple of months.

But he says now his better form is coming as a result of playing more golf, while also using his time off on staying in shape and even trying to add more speed to his swing.

"This is a good time of year to play a few tournaments. When I'm not at tournaments, keep my eye in, do a bit of practice," he added.

"Just that sharpens me up. Always played well and been sharper when I've not gone home and put the clubs away. It's a balancing act. I don't want to play all the time now and I can't play all the time. It's just not good for my body.

"I try and do what I can when I'm away from the golf course. I focus more on the gym work and staying flexible and strong. Injury prevention more than anything.

"Although I'm going through a power phase just to help me hit the ball a bit further and that worked last week. Driving distance was 15 yards up."

LIV Golf star Lee Westwood embarks on a first this week with his maiden appearance at a senior event when he competes at Major the US Senior Open at Newport Country Club. 

The Majesticks GC co-captain may have made his debut at a senior event before now after being eligible since turning 50 in April 2023, but a combination of a busy schedule and restrictions on LIV golfers playing at the Senior Open have meant that he has faced a wait of over a year to finally get his chance. 

Speaking to the press before the tournament, he explained why the latter reason can only be bad for the fans. He said: “Yeah, 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 that we can get the best players playing against each other more often.”

Ever since LIV Golf emerged there have been concerns over the limited number of tournaments featuring the best players in the world competing against each other, and Westwood, who will be in a field that includes fellow LIV golfer Richard Bland, cited recent men’s Majors as examples of how fans respond when they do.

“The consensus of opinion of everybody that I talked to said it's great to see myself and Richard playing here,” he said. “I think, when you look at the US Open two weeks ago or the Masters or the PGA Championship, 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.”

Westwood also admitted the ongoing stalemate in negotiations between the PGA Tour and Saudi Public Investment Fund behind LIV Golf, and how it prevents players from the newer circuit to compete on the PGA Tour Champions, is a disappointment, particularly given what the platform for older legends of the game gives to the fans.

He added: “I think at any level it's disappointing they can't resolve it. But the Champions Tour for me is important because people have watched myself play and other guys out here play for the last 30, 40 years, and they build relationships with those players and they've seen us grow as players and people.

“Yes, people want to see the youngsters, the new guys on the block coming through and contending, but they also want to see the guys they've made a bond with over the last 30, 40 years.

“Because, from what I've seen, watching a bit of the tournament last week, Padraig is still playing some great golf and it's entertaining. At the end of the day, we're in the entertainment industry. It's nice that the USGA and PGA of America and the R&A are trying to find a way to get everybody together more often, yeah.”

Ahead of his belated seniors debut, Westwood, who heads into the tournament fresh from a T3 at LIV Golf Nashville, admitted that performance had given him confidence.

He said: “Obviously third place finish last week is my best result this season. Played well on the final day, which was good. I haven't been finishing tournaments off, so fun for the last four holes and finish that tournament off strongly has given me a lot of confidence going into this week.”

LIV golfer Lee Westwood is set to make his debut at a senior Major championship this week when the US Senior Open takes place at Newport Country Club.

Westwood - a former World No.1 - will be joined by a whole host of high-class veterans in Rhode Island, including defending champion Bernhard Langer and past winners Padraig Harrington and Jim Furyk.

Fellow LIV player Richard Bland is also in the field, fresh off the back of winning the Senior PGA Championship in what was his own debut in the older category.

Westwood enters the week hot on the heels of his best LIV result since making the switch in 2022 - a T3 finish in LIV Golf Nashville's individual competition and a fourth-place result for his Majesticks GC squad, which he co-captains alongside Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson.

In a post sent out on X, Westwood - who twice finished third in the US Open (2008 - 3, 2011 - T3) but failed to land any of the four Majors - admitted he was looking forward to playing at Newport CC after "a great week" in the LIV Golf League.

He said: "Excited to make my senior debut this week at the US Senior Open before heading to [Valderrama] for the next event on the [LIV Golf League] circuit."

The 44-time pro winner, who turned 51 in April of this year and is one of the few golfers to have triumphed on five different continents, has yet to contest a senior Major despite being able to do so since 2023.

Opting not to compete in either the Senior PGA Championship or US Senior Open last season while being unable to take part in the Senior Open Championship following his change in tours, Westwood has decided to make his bow during 2024 instead.

But, in a recent interview with YouTube golf personality Peter Finch in which he also detailed the fine handed out by the DP World Tour for playing in LIV Golf events while still a member of the Wentworth-based circuit, Westwood explained why he will only being playing one Major on the senior calendar this year.

He said: "I can play in certain senior Majors. I can actually play in the Senior PGA [Championship] the week after next, but there's so much travelling for me coming up with LIV events in Houston and Nashville [I won't].

"And then it's the US Senior Open, which I'm actually playing in, and then there are tournaments in Valderrama and JCB coming quickly... the only one I can't play in is the Senior British Open Championship because it's half owned by the European Tour.

"The R&A won't put their foot down and say 'no, this is an Open Championship. Lee and Richard Bland should be able to play.' They pander to the European Tour and say that if we pay our fines - I think my outstanding fines are at £850,000 or something like that.

"Well, I'm not paying them because I disagree with the way they've been handed out. So that's why I can't play in the Seniors Open Championship, but I think the fans lose out there, personally."

Former World No.1 Lee Westwood has revealed he has outstanding fines of over $1 million for competing in the LIV Golf League while still a European Tour member, but insists he will not pay them.

Westwood joined LIV alongside fellow Englishman Ian Poulter back in 2022 and maintained his DP World Tour card for a time before eventually resigning that membership with the circuit on which he played for almost 30 years.

But before the Majesticks co-captain did so, the figure which the 51-year-old was being fined continued to rise at quite a rate.

Several LIV players - including Westwood and Poulter - appealed against such fines being enforceable but ultimately lost their battle in April 2023, with arbitration panel Sport Resolutions UK stating after a decision was reached that those members "committed serious breaches of the code of behaviour of the DP World Tour regulations by playing in [LIV Golf events] despite their release requests having been refused."

Speaking to Peter Finch's podcast, The Rough Cut, Westwood explained the position he is now in and his plans for the future which would have involved teeing it up in all three senior Majors.

However, due to the extraordinary fine that Westwood is yet to pay - said to be $1,083,333.50 (£850,000) - the four-time European Tour Golfer of the Year has effectively been barred from doing so.

Westwood said: "I can play in certain senior Majors. I can actually play in the Senior PGA [Championship] the week after next, but there's so much travelling for me coming up with LIV events in Houston and Nashville [I won't].

"And then it's the US Senior Open, which I'm actually playing in, and then there are tournaments in Valderrama and JCB coming quickly... the only one I can't play in is the Senior British Open Championship because it's half owned by the European Tour.

"The R&A won't put their foot down and say 'no, this is an Open Championship. Lee and Richard Bland should be able to play.' They pander to the European Tour and say that if we pay our fines - I think my outstanding fines are at £850,000 or something like that.

"Well, I'm not paying them because I disagree with the way they've been handed out. So that's why I can't play in the Seniors Open Championship, but I think the fans lose out there, personally."

After confirming that the US Senior Open would be Westwood's bow in senior Major golf, the seven-time Ryder Cup winner continued his critical assessment of golfing governing bodies by turning attention to the European Tour.

The man who has 44 professional wins to his name claimed that two key players who have crossed the PGA Tour/DP World Tour divide to LIV Golf more recently are facing much smaller penalties.

Initially asked how the Wentworth-based circuit formulate fines for individual players, Westwood said: "It's just a number they come to each week for playing in LIV events up against European Tour events. They're not even consistent with it. They're fining Tyrell [Hatton] and John Rahm different numbers now.

"It's not [an ongoing thing] with me. Mine has stayed at that figure because I resigned my membership with the European Tour, but they haven't, and now they're getting fined a figure. But it's nowhere near the figure that myself, Ian Poulter, and a few others got fined. So there's no consistency in their fines."

A DP World Tour spokesperson said: "For clarification, the DP World Tour has been entirely consistent in our approach throughout the disciplinary process. Players have received identical sanctions for the same breaches when relating to the same conflicting events."

Lee Cattermole is known for his time in the Premier League at Sunderland, with the Englishman making over 230 appearances for the club where he scored 10 goals. Now, following the Close House Men's Club Championship, it appears that the 35-year-old is also a rather good golfer...

It's well known that, in the football world, there is a rivalry between Sunderland and Newcastle but, at Close House in Newcastle upon Tyne, it was Sunderland who got the upper hand as Cattermole produced a 152 total to claim the title by just a single stroke.

Posting via their social media, Close House wrote: "Congratulations to Lee Cattermole on winning the Men's Club Championship! 36 holes played over both of our Lee Westwood golf courses today in very windy conditions proved a tough test. Well played from everyone here at Close House."

Retiring from football in 2020, Cattermole revealed that he was looking into coaching after finishing his stint in the Netherlands with VVV Venlo early due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Like Gareth Bale following his retirement from football though, Cattermole has been spotted on the golf course numerous times, with the former Premier League player actually playing a Monday qualifier for the Betfred British Masters back in July 2020, as well as an International Series qualifier on the Asian Tour in 2023.

Taking up the game when he was 11, Cattermole revealed to the BBC that he played every summer until his first team debut at Middlesbrough when he was just 17. Although it is unclear as to how long Cattermole has been a member of Close House, the venue is known for staging multiple big events.

Amongst those include the British Masters in 2017 and 2020, as well as an International Series event in 2023. Famously, Lee Westwood is the Attached Touring Professional of the club, with the former World No.1 opening the Colt Course on the 10th May 2011.

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Branden Grace says that a stronger LIV Golf League now contains “14 Majors out here” that won’t see such dominant victories such as what their Stinger GC achieved at Centurion last year.

The South African plays on a team full of his compatriots alongside Major champions Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel and completed by Dean Burmester.

LIV Golf returns to Centurion a year after it all began, and despite doubts over the future of the new tour after the PGA Tour-PIF deal, the word from the players is that it’s business as usual.

Ian poulter says it’s full steam ahead while his Majesticks teammate Lee Westwood expects LIV to go from strength to strength after the deal.

And Grace agrees, saying that the field is now much stronger than the one from last year, when Schwartzel led a sweep of the podium places as Stingers won by 14 shots.

“Everything is just getting stronger and better,” said Grace. “The teams are stronger now. There's more guys, hopefully more guys coming to make it even stronger. To finish one-two-three I don't think is going to happen pretty soon if ever again.

“I think we as a team won by 16 shots last year. It's so strong now, I don't think anybody has won with more than let's say five shots ever since that. But it's nice to be here. 

"The fields are getting stronger. We just have to keep playing good golf. We've got 14 Majors out here now, so we have to play really well.

“I think last year Louis was very clever. He racked us up in a team before everything really even started. He had a plan behind his madness.”

A lot has happened in the 12 moths since LIV began at Centurion, but Grace believes the tour has continued to get better as time has gone on. 

“Obviously last year this time was a little nerve-racking,” Grace added. “We didn't know what was going on, what to expect, and look at where we are now. Everything has gotten bigger and better as the weeks progressed on. 

“Obviously the way we started last year was like a fairy-tale start, getting one-two-three on the podium and the team win, as well. 

"It's just amazing how things have progressed, how happy we are, how we're enjoying golf, how we're enjoying the environment, and it's great to be here.”

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Ian Poulter says it's "full steam ahead" for LIV Golf despite some uncertainty about the future of the tour - while he and Lee Westwood heaped praise on Greg Norman with his position also in some doubt.

The framework agreement between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) still has to be ironed out - with Jay Monahan initially said to have the final say on LIV's future after conducting a review.

Fans of LIV Golf say it will only get bigger and better, while opponents think its days will be numbered - but however LIV fits into the new golfing landscape, Poulter believes it isn't going away.

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The Englishman's Majesticks team have been busy signing sponsorship deals in a clear statement that they mean to hang around - and he says the word from the top is that it's business as usual.

"I mean, look, I can only talk about the stuff that I know, which is that LIV is moving full steam ahead," Poulter said ahead of the latest LIV Golf League event at Centurion.

"It's business as usual. I don't know all the incidentals of the framework agreement, how that framework agreement is going to be pulled together on either party, either of the three. I don't know the investment piece of all of the three and how the evaluations are going.

"I can only comment on facts, and the facts that I know is that LIV is moving forward; it's business as usual. So for us, that's exciting.

"Can't speculate on the speculation that's out there, but we are full steam ahead at LIV and as Team Majesticks."

It's a sentiment that was echoed by reigning Open champion Cam Smith, who joined LIV soon after winning the Claret Jug at St Andrews.

"I really can't see LIV Golf going away," said Smith. "I think team golf is here to stay, and if you asked every one of us out here, all the 48 guys, I think everyone has such a good time and everyone enjoys what they're doing out here.

"They love the competition, that team element really brings three or four guys really close that perhaps weren't before. It's good to see. It's unique. I don't think it's going anywhere."

Greg Norman's 'done a great job'

LIV commissioner Norman has been keeping a lower profile than usual ever since the PGA Tour-PIF deal was announced, but he received praise from both Westwood and Poulter.

"I think it's good that everybody is sitting down now and trying to work together," Westwood said of the big new golf deal. "I see LIV getting stronger and stronger from what I've been told from people that actually know rather than speculate and from people that don't have all the facts.

"With regards to Greg, he's the commissioner of this tour. I've always had a great relationship with Greg. I always take people as I find them, and he's always been great to me. 

"He's stuck by his word with regard to LIV and where it's going and never kept us in the dark, always informed us of anything that's going to happen.

"I'm delighted with the way Greg has handled all this and the way he's conveyed everything to me. I can't talk for the other guys, but no complaints."

Poulter agreed, adding: "Yeah, I'll always take Greg as I've always found him. He's been good to me. I think he's done a great job. 

"It's not an easy job. I think he's done a great job."

Ian Poulter explained that scheduling was a factor behind his decision not to try and qualify for the Open Championship, while Lee Westwood had hoped to play in the Senior Open before he was denied entry.

The fact that Final Qualifying for the Open was staged in between LIV Golf events at Valderrama and at Centurion Club outside London was a factor for the European veterans.

Playing 36 holes of tough links golf sandwiched between big LIV events was not something Poulter, 47, and 50-year-old Westwood really fancied taking on - even as much as they'd like to have teed it up at Royal Liverpool.

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Poulter still feels that he should have had a chance of qualifying through Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points - that LIV is currently being refused due to the format.

"Look, I've missed lots of Majors through the years," said Poulter. "I've missed the Masters. I've missed lots of opportunities. When you're not top 60, you're not in the US Open; you're not top 50, you're not in the Masters; you're not top 50 or earn it through an Order of Merit position to get in the Open Championship. 

"It's not the first time. It won't be the last time unless we can get some World Ranking points and move back up into a position where I can automatically qualify.

"I've got 14 events on my calendar season. There will be a couple of addition to see that. It's a shorter season than what I have played in the past.

"I feel better, fresher, stronger, when I'm competing here on LIV, and as Lee said, if the qualifying date wasn't the date it was, maybe I'd have qualified or attempted to try and qualify. 

"But to sandwich 36 holes right in the middle of two tournaments that I'm working hard to play well on didn't make sense for me at the time."

Westwood unhappy with Senior Open snub

For Westwood, he fancied taking on the Senior Open having celebrated his 50th birthday, but he was denied entry due to the ongoing fallout from LIV Golf, which upset his schedule.

"I sit down at the start of the year, do a schedule, and see when the qualifying was for the Open Championship," Westwood explained. 

"I knew this was going to be a busy week, knew that I played Valderrama, thought it was a good opportunity to play my first ever seniors event and it be the Seniors Open Championship, which is the week after the Open.

"So I'd entered and committed to that. Unfortunately, the Seniors Open doesn't look to be as open as the Open Championship, so was barred from playing in that. So now got three weeks off, and then I'll go into more LIV events.

"My idea and goal was to go and play in the Seniors Open Championship the week after, being 50 and it be my first opportunity. I thought that was going to give me the best opportunity to perform well and have a chance at winning that."

Westwood did not rule out trying to qualify for the Open again next year if the scheduling fits in - as this year will be the first he's missed in 28 years.

"The Open Championship is the greatest championship in the world as far as I'm concerned," he added. "I've played 29, 30 in a row. I had a lot of fun playing in them. But as you get older, things come to an end, and you can't just keep playing.

"Maybe I'll try and qualify next year. See when it is.

"It's just that I knew that I was in this event and not for sure in the Open Championship, so you've got to plan for what you know or tournaments that you think you're going to be in without other things kind of transpiring.

"You can't always be right. There's always ifs and buts in there."

Martin Kaymer says LIV Golf players should be allowed to play in the Ryder Cup in the future, but admitted Europe shouldn’t make a late change for this year as “there’s too much chaos anyway” in the current men’s game.

The PGA Tour and Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) may have agreed a deal to try and bring men’s golf back together again, but for now Ryder Cup qualification remains a headache.

European captain Luke Donald is moving forward towards Rome without any LIV Golf involvement – meaning the likes of Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood will play no part on or off the course at Marco Simone later this year.

The waters are a bit muddier for Zach Johnson with Brooks Koepka looking nailed-on to finish in the automatic qualifying spots in the Team USA Ryder Cup standings, while Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and even Patrick Reed could press their cases with strong showings at the Open next month.

And Kaymer, forever written into Ryder Cup folklore as the man who finished off the Miracle of Medinah in 2012, would like to see LIV Golf players included in future events – even though for this year at least there’s “too much chaos” to change European plans this late in the day.

“I think this year nothing should change, if you ask me. There’s too much chaos anyway, obviously the US team is their own thing,” said Kaymer.

“But, going forward, it would be nice for the golf fans and us players who want to play against the best players from both continents and I think it shouldn’t matter where you play, whether it is LIV, DP World, PGA Tour.”

Kaymer wants golfers from all tours to be eligible for future Ryder Cup, but accepts it’s too late to change things for Europe now – which includes quashing any talk of Henrik Stenson being included after the Swede lost the captaincy after switching to LIV.

“Wherever you play, you should be eligible for the Ryder Cup if you’re good enough,” Kaymer added. “This year it should stay the way it is because imagine the chaos that would come out if Henrik Stenson was being picked! 

“For the future I think the fans want to see the best players competing and that would be my way forward.”

McDowell hopeful of Ryder Cup return

McDowell, another man to grab the winning point in the Ryder Cup as he completed the 2010 success at Celtic Manor, agrees with Kaymer about the best players qualifying regardless of where they play.

And although he's not playing well enough right now, he thinks he could play his way back into future Ryder Cups.

"I’m not playing well enough to be considered for the 12 places," said McDowell. "Do I believe I can play in the future? Yes, I believe I’m good enough to be out there. 

"Would I like to be in Rome to help Luke Donald out? Of course I would love to be there. There’s too much water under the bridge regarding the prep which Luke and his backroom staff have done and we wish them well. 

"Do I think there are any players on LIV good enough to play on the European Ryder Cup team? Yes, I do think there are a couple of guys and we’ll have to see how it all shakes out. 

"I think it should be the 12 best European players against the 12 best US players. In the end, it doesn’t matter where they play.”

LIV Golf player Graeme McDowell believes he has a future in the Ryder Cup despite admitting his form is not good enough to be considered for Luke Donald’s team in this year’s tournament at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.

McDowell’s optimism over the potential for inclusion in future editions of the biennial tournament has been renewed following the merger that saw the PGA Tour and DP World Tour join forces with the Saudi Public Investment Fund that finances LIV Golf.

Nevertheless, the 2010 US Open champion, who will play for LIV Golf in this week’s tournament at Valderrama, admitted this year’s event will come too soon for him, although he could take part in the future. He said: “I’m not playing well enough to be considered for the 12 places.

“Do I believe I can play in the future? Yes, I believe I’m good enough to be out there. Would I like to be in Rome to help Luke Donald out? Of course I would love to be there, I love everything there is about the European Ryder Cup team.”

Aside from McDowell’s recent form, which finds him 38th in the LIV Golf standings, he also thinks it will be tricky for Donald to select its players for September’s tournament from a practical standpoint.

He continued: “There’s too much water under the bridge regarding the prep which Luke and his backroom staff have done and we wish them well. I fully expect that we won’t have anything to do with it, unfortunately.”

Despite that, the Northern Irishman, who has played for Team Europe four times, is convinced there are some LIV Golf players who could yet give Donald something to think about before he finalises his 12-man team. He said: “Do I think there are any players on LIV good enough to play on the European Ryder Cup team? Yes, I do think there are a couple of guys and we’ll have to see how it all shakes out.”

In particular, McDowell sees July’s Open at Royal Liverpool as a potential shop window for a LIV Golf player to demonstrate his worth to the Team Europe captain, even if that won’t be either Lee Westwood or Ian Poulter, after they opted to skip final qualifying fo the Major. He said: “If someone goes and blows it up at The Open who is a European LIV player then that will throw the cat amongst the pigeons. “

In general, though, McDowell is in favour of the European Ryder Cup team comprising players who have been picked on merit rather than overlooking some because they play for LIV Golf. He explained: “I hope Europe wins the Ryder Cup. Aside from that, what that 12 looks like, we’ll see, but I think it should be the 12 best European players against the 12 best US players. In the end, it doesn’t matter where they play.”

Donald will select his six Captain’s Picks for the tournament after the conclusion of Ryder Cup qualifying on 3 September.

Sergio Garcia leads a party of 21 LIV Golf players who will attempt to qualify for the Open next week at four different sites during Final Qualifying.

Garcia and 20 other players from LIV Golf will attempt to make the field for the 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool over 36 hole qualifiers on Tuesday July 4.

The 43-year-old, who successfully went through qualifying to make the US Open this year, will tackle West Lancashire Golf Club alongside former US Open champion Graeme McDowell and Mito Pereira.

Branden Grace, now the joint-record holder for the lowest score even in a Major, is in the field along with former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel at Royal Cinque Ports.

Peter Uihlein and Jason Kokrak will tackle Dundonald Links while Marc Leishman and Laurie Canter will tee it up at Royal Porthcawl.

Lee Westwood will miss the Open for the first time since making his debut in 1995 as he and Ian Poulter were among the players who decided against trying to qualify.

Garcia also has a proud Open record to try and maintain, as the Spaniard has only missed the event once, the year after making his debut in 1996, so will look to qualify to play in his 25th straight Open.

Of the interesting names not in LIV Golf who will attempt to qualify, PGA Championship hero Michel Block will be playing at Dundonald Links with Matt Kuchar, Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Haotong Li and Kiradech Aphibarnrat.

Former Ryder Cup stars Jamie Donaldson and Victor Dubuisson will feature at West Lancashire while the trio of Harry Hall, Thomas Detry and Ross Fisher will be challenging at Royal Cinque Ports.

LIV Golf players in Final Open Qualifying

West Lancashire: Sergio Garcia, Graeme McDowell, Mito Pereira, Scott Vincent

Royal Porthcawl: Marc Leishman, Cameron Tringale, Matt Jones, Anirban Lahiri, Laurie Canter

Royal Cinque Ports: Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace, David Puig, Brendan Steele, Dean Burmester, Wade Orsmby, Kieran Vincent

Dundonald Links: Jason Kokrak, Peter Uihlein, Carlos Ortiz, Sebastian Munoz, Andy Ogletree

The 2023 Open will see 156 players tee it up at Royal Liverpool. However, that number will not include LIV Golf player Lee Westwood.

That’s because he has opted against taking part in next week’s final qualifying for the Major, which would have represented his last chance to appear.

The 50-year-old has an enviable record in the tournament. Even though he has never won it, he has achieved six top-10 finishes including runner-up in 2010. Westwood has also not missed The Open since 1995.

Final qualifying comes during a busy period for the Englishman, with the LIV Golf League resuming at Valderrama in Spain this week after a month-long break.

The circuit then moves to the Centurion Club near London for the ninth tournament of the season the week after, with final qualifying for The Open taking place between the two events next Tuesday at four venues around the UK.

Westwood isn’t the only LIV Golf player who has opted against one final attempt to reach the tournament. His Majesticks GC teammate Ian Poulter has also chosen not to compete in final qualifying. That’s despite his earlier effort to reach the tournament with a trip to Hong Kong in March to play in the World City Championship, which offered four qualifying berths.

Despite making the cut, the 2008 Open runner-up finished seven shots back of the top four finish he needed to qualify for this year’s tournament.

One LIV Golf player who hasn’t given up is Sergio Garcia. The Spaniard will go through the gruelling 36-hole qualifier at West Lancashire as he attempts to make his 25th successive appearance at the tournament. The 43-year-old had enjoyed an exemption to the tournament thanks to his 2017 Masters victory, but that ran out last year.

Like Westwood, Poulter and many other LIV Golf players, qualifying for Majors has become increasingly difficult for Garcia as he has fallen down the Official World Golf Rankings, with LIV Golf unable to offer world ranking points.

Garcia has previously demonstrated his willingness to take whatever opportunity he can to qualify for Majors, though. In May, he opted for a similar route to reach the US Open, making it through a stacked field in final qualifying to reach his 24th consecutive appearance at the tournament.

While we await Garcia’s progress, Westwood’s absence will be felt particularly keenly. As well as his solid performances in the Major over the years, this will be the first time he has missed out since 1995. It is also just four years since he finished tied for fourth at Royal Portrush.

Despite Westwood and Poulter's decision not to compete in final qualifying, there are plenty of other LIV Golf players who will, including Graeme McDowell, Cameron Tringale, Dean Burmester, Carlos Ortiz, Peter Uihlein, Charl Schwartzel, Mito Pereira, Jason Kokrak, Sebastian Munoz, Anirban Lahiri, Marc Leishmann and Matt Jones.

Elsewhere, PGA Championship hero Michael Block will also use final qualifying to try and reach the tournament for the first time. 

With 100 days to go the run-up to the Ryder Cup has well and truly begun, with now players starting to establish themselves in the points standings and as possible captains picks, but who will likely make their debuts in Rome?

Both European captain Luke Donald and Team USA skipper Zach Johnson have plenty of freedom in their teams, with just six players qualifying on each team leaving them with six wildcards each to select.

LIV Golf is making a big impact in different ways, with Team Europe stalwarts like Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood out of the picture but Brooks Koepka looks like an automatic qualifier for the US while the likes of Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau are all eligible for selection. The US will be missing current World No.11, Will Zalatoris, though, who is sidelined after back surgery.

Who will be the rookies making their big Ryder Cup debuts though? Based on the current world rankings, we take a look at six contenders for Team USA and Europe...

Possible Team USA Ryder Cup rookies

Wyndham Clark

It’s not always as simple as win a Major, get in the Ryder Cup team, but if there was any doubt then the way Clark won the US Open means even if he somehow doesn’t qualify Johnson will hand him a pick. He was cool, calm and collected under the most intense pressure, and having never even made the cut at the US Open before. 

Holding off Rory McIlroy down the stretch, he showed clear thinking and a wonderful short game when it really mattered. His putting was magnificent and that’s always crucial in Ryder Cups.

Max Homa

He’s still got those Major question marks after drawing another blank on home turf at the US Open, but he’s won six times on the PGA Tour and has got all kinds of game that make him a walk-on to this USA team surely?

Homa was impressive in last year’s Presidents Cup with a perfect 4-0-0 record which will take him a long way, and he’d also be great guy to have around the team room.

Sam Burns

Burns is not the first name on everyone’s lips, but he has been a top 10 player in the world with five PGA Tour wins under his belt – with his latest being the most crucial with it coming in the WGC-Match Play.

His one Presidents Cup appearance didn’t go to plan, but beating Patrick Cantlay, Scottie Scheffler and Cameron Young in the gruelling Match Play in Texas will stand him in good stead.

Cameron Young

Speaking of Cameron Young, he was the overwhelming winner of the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award last year where he produced some stellar performances despite not banking a win. He saved his best for the Majors with a runner-up spot at the Open at St Andrews and a T3 at the PGA Championship last year, followed by a T7 at the 2023 Masters.

He won 1.5 points at the Presidents Cup and making the Match Play final in Austin will make Johnson comfortable with selecting him as a pick if he chooses.

Kurt Kitayama

A two-time DP World Tour winner, Kitayama’s crowning glory was his maiden PGA Tour success at the Arnold Palmer Invitational this year when he recovered from a final-round triple bogey to make a late birdie and win by one at Bay Hill from Harris English and Rory McIlroy.

That took guts and, along with a quarter-final at the Match Play and T4 at the PGA Championship, will be used to back-up his case for inclusion.

Sahith Theegala

The former college standout could be a bit of a wildcard selection but he’s a hugely popular figure with a dashing game and some decent results even this early in his career – including a top 10 finish on his Masters debut this year.

He led the PGA Tour in birdies last season thanks to his attacking game and he’d certainly bring some entertainment value to the Ryder Cup if selected.

Possible Team Europe Ryder Cup rookies

Sepp Straka

Aiming to follow Bernd Wiesberger as just the second Austrian to play in the Ryder Cup, Straka is the first from his country to win on the PGA Tour after claiming the 2022 Honda Classic.

He was up there challenging at the PGA Championship when finishing T7 so has some big event experience under his belt, which could stand him in good stead if he’s part of Donald’s team.

Seamus Power

Also a regular on the PGA Tour, Irishman Power has two wins on the US circuit with the last coming at the start of the wraparound season in October. He showed brilliant consistency with six straight top 15 finishes, including two top fives and big performances in Phoenix and Riviera. 

He’s had no joy in the Majors yet but a top 20 at Quail Hollow showed he does have big-game mentality – but he’ll need a few more eye-catching displays to get the nod against the likes of Straka.

Victor Perez

The Edinburgh-based Frenchman is vying with Yannick Paul and Adrian Meronk for the third qualifying spot on the European points list, and has some good form in two Italian Open appearances on the Ryder Cup course to back-up his claims if he needs a pick.

Winning in Abu Dhabi gave his year a huge boost to start with, but he'll need a couple more big displays to force Donald's hand.

Yannik Paul

Yannik Paul is looking to become the third German to play in the Ryder Cup and is the man in possession of a qualifying spot after a win in Mallorca last October followed by some consistent performances including two runners-up spots and a third.

Given the quality around him and the veteran players on the world points list you’d think Paul probably needs to qualify automatically to make it to Rome.

Pablo Larrazabal

The Spanish have a proud tradition in the Ryder Cup and Donald may aim to partner Jon Rahm up with compatriot Larrazabal, who would be making his debut aged 40 if he can get into the team.

He’s not in the qualifying spots, but with two tournament wins this year, taking his DP World Tour total to nine, and cracking the top 50 in the world for the first time he’s certainly got some decent credentials.

Adrian Meronk

The first Polish player to qualify for the Open and first to win on the DP World Tour, Meronk got inside the top 50 in the world and having the latest of his three wins (all national opens) coming at the same Marco Simone course staging the Ryder Cup must be a huge asset for him in Donald’s thinking.

On the course, Martin Kaymer has enjoyed a number of successes, such as two-Major titles and even The Players Championship. In June 2022 though, the German made the move to LIV Golf, having previously defended the circuit in a number of interviews.

Now, in an exclusive with The Telegraph, the former World No.1 has claimed that: "It’s such a hypocritical world that we live in," with Kaymer explaining that he has received a number of messages since news of the merger.

On the 6th June, a merger between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the Public Investment Fund was announced, with the PIF seemingly set to invest a substantial amount into the professional golf scene over the foreseeable future.

Certainly, over the past 18 months, those who stayed put on the PGA Tour have been critical of LIV Golf and the way it is funded but, according to Kaymer, he is "really looking forward now to the reaction of all the people who said ‘we don’t want to play for blood money… 'we don’t want to sell our soul'. Well now they need to move to Japan (and play on the Japan Tour), in order to stay true to their word."

When LIV Golf was first brought to our screens in June 2022 at Centurion Club in Hertfordshire, many players received a backlash for moving to the Saudi-backed series. However, according to Kaymer, "I think you just need to follow your intuition and what you believe.

"I stood up to my values and stood up to the feeling in my heart. I was brave enough and stood up for myself to a lot of people, also here in Germany, who criticised me and gave me s**t. Funny enough, they have sent me nice messages (since the announcement). It’s such a hypocritical world that we live in… so, it’s even more important to make your own decisions. Don’t judge too much because, when all is said and done, you might do the same thing."

Following the news of the merger, attention has also been on what will happen with the Ryder Cup. Well, although American players can participate, if they qualify of course, the European team seems to have a slightly different qualifying process. Firstly, players must be members of the DP World Tour and, given that most LIV golfers have resigned their memberships to avoid further fines and sanctions following February's arbitration hearing, it's unlikely that we will see a European LIV golfer in Italy at the end of September.

However, the likes of Padraig Harrington have stated that they feel LIV golfers should be included and, according to Kaymer, that is also the case, with the Cleeks GC captain stating: "Everyone has now come together, right, so let’s show the world that and permit the best players in America to play against the best in Europe. I think it would be one of the great Ryder Cups, if they made that happen. And why can’t they? They’ve shown with this deal that anything can be done and be done quickly, too."

Padraig Harrington thinks LIV Golf players should be allowed to play for Team Europe in the Ryder Cup in the wake of the deal between the DP World Tour, PGA Tour and Saudi Public Investment Fund.

Harrington, who captained Team Europe at Whistling Straits in 2021, told The Telegraph: “I think the Ryder Cup is going to have the LIV players back. Luke’s got to pick his best team at the end of the day. Absolutely. Wherever Luke can get his best team out there he should do that.“

The chances of European LIV golfers making the team had seemed almost non-existent following the DP World Tour’s victory in its legal battle against the players and the resignations of several from the Tour, including all-time record Ryder Cup points scorer Sergio Garcia.

However, the deal that shook the golf world earlier in the week may have reopened the door to the likes of Garcia, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson to compete at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in the biennial tournament after all.

That would require rule changes, in particular to those who had resigned, but Harrington doesn’t think it should be an obstacle. He continued: “I know the rules have to change but rules have been changed before. The whole idea of this new [agreement] is, look, let’s not do any harm or damage to anybody in this situation. What I’m suggesting is everybody’s given a kind of clean slate.”

Harrington also insisted some LIV Golf players would be worthy of selection. He said: “The [LIV players] definitely warrant consideration. They’re good players. I don’t know if they’re going to be selected in the top 12 players at this stage. But to suggest that there aren’t players capable of being Ryder Cup players over at LIV would be silly.”

One potential issue could be the rifts that had been opened as a result of players joining the circuit, most notably between former best friends Garcia and PGA Tour stalwart Rory McIlroy.

Again, though, Harrington doesn’t think it’s insurmountable. The Irishman has not always seen eye to eye with Garcia, either, and said: “For a week, you know, you get over it. Myself and Sergio used to hug at the Ryder Cup. When you are playing you get over these things. You work through it. You’d be surprised when you get in a team [environment] a bit of tension does help. You want a bit of drive in there.”

Garcia, Westwood and Poulter would likely be future captain material were it not for their moves to LIV Golf. Their resignations from the DP World Tour appeared to end any lingering hopes they had of taking on the role. However, Harrington thinks that has all changed with the announcement of the historic deal.

He said: “Absolutely I think it opens up again down the road. I think this opens it all back up. The next captain is not decided in any shape or form. But there did seem like a nice roll of captains going forward.”

A few weeks ago we seemed to have finally made peace with the fact that the European heroes from the past couple of decades would no longer be part of proceedings at Marco Simone in Italy.

Part of this was fairly flattering to the likes of Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter but they’ve been part of the competition's furniture for so long that many have struggled to let go of the prospect of a European team without the pair of them.

A sounder reality check is that Westwood is now 50 and has a best finish of 20th (in a field of 48) in seven starts this year. For Poulter, now 47, it’s been a similar tale of mediocrity with The Postman failing to deliver all season other than a 12th-place finish at Mayakoba in February.

Elsewhere Paul Casey, Graeme McDowell and the short-lived captain for these matches, Henrik Stenson, have failed to register much of note. Thomas Pieters joined LIV in February and is yet to post a top-15 finish in six starts and, should that form continue, it would be a long shot from Donald to choose him should things be relaxed.

But where things become interesting, for Europe at least, is the whereabouts in late September of Sergio Garcia.

The competition’s record points scorer is no longer a member of the DP World Tour which, by the letter of the law, means that he can’t be part of Luke Donald’s side. Something which Rory McIlroy, who has reportedly fallen out with the Spaniard over the past year’s disintegration of the game at the highest level, pointed out in his press conference in Canada this week. 

According to McIlroy, if you’re not a member, then you’re not coming in.

“I don't think it changes. The ruling in that arbitration court was upheld that the European Tour can uphold the rules and regulations and sanction people for leaving the Tour, for harming the Tour. And again, I think it's a moot point, because all those guys have resigned their membership. If you're not a member of the European Tour you can't play the Ryder Cup. So to me it's a moot point.”

In a statement to the players from the DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley it reads: "Similar assumptions have been made that European players who have resigned from the Tour will now be able to be part of this year's Ryder Cup. Once again, it is not that straightforward.

"There are only two criteria for being a member of the European Ryder Cup team, namely: (1) you are European and (2) you are a member of the DP World Tour. To meet the second criterion, they would have to ask for reinstatement and there would have to be exceptional circumstance to allow it. I stress again, it would be difficult and highly unlikely that that would happen."

So not impossible. After the past 12 months the 'highly unlikely' possibility of a turnaround here would fade into relative inconsequence given what else is going on.

Come September the golfing kaleidoscope is going to look very different. Brooks Koepka will be part of the US team and he might well be joined by other LIV stars, like Dustin Johnson who went 5-0-0 in 2021. Aside from their skills they’ll arrive with little personal baggage in terms of personalities and Zach Johnson’s side will be further bolstered as they go about winning on European soil for the first time in 30 years.

In these most ludicrous of golfing times, and in light of what has happened this week, it would be faintly ridiculous for one captain to be able to have a full deck to choose from while Europe, the underdogs, would be limited.

The rules and regulations might say a lot of things but you might easily argue that they can all be thrown out the window when it now comes to the Ryder Cup. This is day two of this new era and already the noises coming out of everyone's mouths are beginning to sound very different. 

It might not be a merger as such but Garcia’s new bosses now sit under the PGA Tour umbrella and, while it’s a PGA-run event, he will almost certainly, you would have to think, be available for selection.

Unlike Koepka and Johnson the Spaniard is a different beast and his behaviour has been, at best, erratic over the past year. He was part of the first LIV event at Centurion and he’s repeatedly played the victim, something that he excels at.

But there have been patches of form and his record, and impact during a Ryder Cup week, would make it a no-brainer to include him. We might not see him paired with McIlroy in the opening exchanges on Friday morning but we know who he’ll play with and one thing that Donald is lacking in after the demolition at Whistling Straits are partnerships.

Matt Fitzpatrick spoke earlier in the year about the possibility of Garcia being part of the team in Rome.

"I think there definitely are a few personal relationships that have been dented by this [the LIV vs PGA Tour civil war]. I'm not bothered, I just want to win, and I'm sure those boys do too. Sergio would be the one that would stand out for me, particularly," Fitzpatrick told Sky Sports. "I don't know the details of [his relationship with McIlroy]. I'm happy to share a room with him, if that's going to be the case, I can corner him off for everyone else."

Then there’s Jon Rahm, who will fall in straight alongside his compatriot, and he, like his American opposition, just wants the best of Europe to feature.

"We had a great partnership at Whistling Straights. A Spanish duo in the Ryder Cup I think to me is embedded into the roots of the Ryder Cup. Look with Seve and Ollie were able to do throughout their partnership, right. So it's a little sad to me that politics have gotten in the way of such a beautiful event," Rahm said. 

“It's the best Europeans against the best American, period. And whatever is going on, who is playing LIV and who is not playing LIV to me shouldn't matter. It's whoever is best suited to represent the European side. And I have a hard time to believe that the best player Europe has ever had, the most successful player Europe has had on the Ryder Cup isn't fit to be on the team.”

For years Donald and Garcia have been bosom buddies and it would have seemed unthinkable that one wouldn’t play for the other. With six captain’s pick the unthinkable is now all of a sudden, more likely, that Donald won't use one of them for his old mate.

The conversation about whether LIV golfers should play in the Ryder Cup has been a big talking point since Brooks Koepka's PGA Championship victory in May and, following the news that the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Public Investment Fund will merge, that topic has somewhat sprung up again.

Rory McIlroy, who spoke in a press conference at the Canadian Open on Wednesday, following the merger news, was asked just that very question and, in typical McIlroy fashion, his answer was somewhat straight, with the four-time Major winner calling it a "moot point."

Back in April, the DP World Tour won a hearing against LIV Golf players. Following the Sports Resolutions arbitration hearing result, multiple players from the DP World Tour resigned their memberships to avoid further fines and sanctions. The resignations included the likes of Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia, who will now not be able to ever serve as either Team Europe's captain or vice captains.

Since the merger was announced, it is still unclear as to whether these rules may change but, speaking at Oakdale Golf & Country Club, McIlroy stated: "I don't think it changes," in regard to the ruling that players must be members of the DP World Tour to qualify for the European Ryder Cup side.

"The ruling in that arbitration court meant that the European Tour can uphold the rules and regulations and sanction people for leaving the Tour, for harming the Tour," McIlroy explained. "Again, I think it's a moot point, because all those guys have resigned their membership. If you're not a member of the European Tour you can't play the Ryder Cup. So to me it's a moot point."

Although European LIV players can't play in the Ryder Cup, it is a different story over the pond, with American LIV players still able to qualify for their team, albeit in a slim number of ways.

Players earn one point for every $1,000 made in a PGA Tour event and two points per $1,000 won at Majors, with the top six players in the standings after the BMW Championship in August then automatically qualifying for Team USA. Currently, Koepka sits in second, following a runner-up finish at the Masters, and a victory at the PGA Championship.

The Ryder Cup gets underway at Marco Simone Country Club at the end of September, with even McIlroy himself believing that Koepka "deserves" a spot on the USA team. Along with McIlroy, Brad Faxon has also argued that the LIV golfer should be featuring in Zach Johnson's side.

The Ryder Cup may still be four months off, but talk of who will make the teams is hotting up, especially with qualification for the biennial contest having been affected by a number of players defecting to LIV Golf.

The United States proved too strong for Padraig Harrington’s men at Whistling Straits two years ago, after which discussions soon began about whether Europe would be better off with a younger team and fresh faces for this year's battle in Rome, which begins on September 29. 

At that time, there was no reason to think the qualification procedure would be different to any other year, but this was pre LIV Golf, and the emergence of the new circuit has put an end to some players’ Ryder Cup careers.

TEAM USA QUALIFICATION

Zach Johnson, the US team captain, is currently in a position to pick LIV players, which includes recent PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka, as well as Major champions Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson.

Koepka joined LIV last summer and, like his fellow LIV competitors, it’s meant that he has been unable to play in PGA Tour events. However, he remains a member of the PGA of America, and the Majors offer such players from the Saudi-backed circuit the opportunity to earn qualification points.

"If you go second, first, first, first, it would be kind of tough not to (get a) pick, right?" said Koepka, whose fifth Major Championship victory catapulted the former world number one into second on the US Ryder Cup qualification standings.

"If you go handle business, I feel like I should be fine. I just play my best and see what happens from there, but I would love to play for him [Zach Johnson]."

Players earn one point for every $1,000 made in a PGA Tour event and two points per $1,000 won at Majors, with the top six players in the standings after the BMW Championship in August then automatically qualifying for Team USA.

It means Koepka – who also tied for second at The Masters in April – and his LIV colleagues will only have two more events in which to accumulate points, the US Open in June and The Open at Royal Liverpool in July. Johnson is then scheduled to name six captain's picks after the Tour Championship (August 24-27).

European Qualification

The qualification campaign for Europe began last autumn and runs through until this September, when three automatic qualifiers from the European Points List and the same number from the World Points List joining six captain's picks to make up Luke Donald's team.

The selection process for the skipper was made a little clearer when a number of European players resigned from the DP World Tour last month, which immediately made them ineligible to pull on the blue and gold colors and represent the team.

Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter, all Ryder Cup stalwarts, will not be playing for Donald at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club this coming September, having made the decision to quit the DP World Tour.

Henrik Stenson also resigned, but the Swede waved goodbye to his chances of being involved in the Ryder Cup when he joined LIV Golf last year, after which he was removed as Europe's captain. 

However, there is still a possibility that Donald could have LIV players on his team, as not everyone has walked away from the DP World Tour. With limited access to world ranking events, though, it’s looking very unlikely that anyone would grab an automatic spot.

That leaves the question of captain’s picks. Could Donald be tempted to go for a Paul Casey or Thomas Pieters, both still DP World Tour members? Johnson, too, is likely to face a similar kind of dilemma with his picks. 

All will be revealed in the coming months. 

As things stand Brooks Koepka sits in second place on the US Ryder Cup standings following his recent win at the PGA Championship. With the two-shot win he became the first LIV Golf player to win a Major and he might easily be going for the third leg of the Grand Slam at this month's US Open having tied for second at The Masters.

So the question that is now popping up more than it was is whether a LIV golfer should be allowed to feature in the Ryder Cup in Rome? With six captain's picks a team without Koepka would seem a ridiculous option if you are of the opinion that a LIV player should feature in Italy and, judging by this week's press conferences at Muirfield Village, his team-mates are behind the move. 

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who has played on one Ryder Cup team, would happily have Koepka or whoever it took to finally get a win in Europe – the Americans incredibly last won an away match in 1993.

"I want to win the Ryder Cup. I don't care about tours or anything like that. I want to win the Ryder Cup. It's something we talked about when we finished (at Whistling Straits in 2021), we want to beat those guys in Europe. It's been a long time since we've beat them," Scheffler said.

"Whoever the best 12 guys that make a complete team, it's different than individual tournaments. We want a team of guys that are going over there together to bring the Cup back home, and that's all I really care about."

Patrick Cantlay, the next ranked American at fourth in the world, would echo Scheffler's thoughts.

"I just want the best 12 Americans on the team. I don't think the US has won a Ryder Cup over there since '93. So I'm looking to change that." 

Even Rory McIlroy believes that Koepka, who has also won twice on the LIV Golf League and is now ranked 14th in the world, should be worthy of a place on Zach Johnson's side. 

"I certainly think Brooks deserves to be on the United States team. I think with how he's played, he's second in the US standings, only played two counting events. I don't know if there's anyone else on the LIV roster that would make the team on merit and how they're playing. But Brooks is definitely a guy that I think deserves to be on the US team," explained the World No. 3.

But McIlroy wasn't budging on the possibility of the Europeans playing for Luke Donald's side.

"But I have different feelings about the European team and the other side and sort of how that has all transpired and, yeah, I don't think any of those guys should be a part of the European team."

Back in September McIlroy reiterated his thoughts on how the European team should shape up, with an injection of younger players the way forward as opposed to the likes of Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter or Lee Westwood representing Europe again.

“I have said it once, I've said it a hundred times, I don't think any of those guys should be on the Ryder Cup team. I think we were in need of a rebuild, anyway. We did well with the same guys for a very long time but again as I just said, everything comes to an end at some point. I think Whistling Straits is a good sort of demarcation, I guess," McIlroy said.

“I think the European Team has a core of six or seven guys that I think we all know are pretty much going to be on that team, and then it's up to some of the younger guys to maybe step up. Instead of filling those three or four spots with older veterans, let's blood some rookies and let's get them in and build towards the future. I think that's important.”

While it would take some leap of faith to give a captain's pick to Westwood or Poulter, Garcia is the one whose absence will likely be felt the most by his peers. The Spaniard, who along with Dustin Johnson won the inaugural Nicklaus-Jacklin award at Whistling Straits for best typifying the right spirit, is the record points scorer in the competition with 28.5 points and has a ready-made partner in Jon Rahm.

Reportedly Garcia had a conversation with captain Donald who told him that he had no chance of making his side, something that has upset Rahm.

"I'm going to miss him. We had a great partnership at Whistling Straights. I'm going to mention history again one more time. A Spanish duo in the Ryder Cup I think to me is embedded into the roots of the Ryder Cup. Look with Seve and Ollie were able to do throughout their partnership, right. So it's a little sad to me that politics have gotten in the way of such a beautiful event," Rahm added.

"Again, it's the best Europeans against the best American, period. And whatever is going on, who is playing LIV and who is not playing LIV to me shouldn't matter. It's whoever is best suited to represent the European side. And I have a hard time to believe that the best player Europe has ever had, the most successful player Europe has had on the Ryder Cup isn't fit to be on the team. So, it's unfortunate. I will miss him. But with that said I want to be hopeful, there's a couple of Spanish guys playing really good right now, so hopefully they can join me on the team."

Matt Fitzpatrick, who will defend his US Open crown later this month, spoke earlier this year about not being bothered who made the European team.

"I think there definitely are a few personal relationships that have been dented by this [the LIV vs PGA Tour civil war]. I'm not bothered, I just want to win, and I'm sure those boys do too. Sergio would be the one that would stand out for me, particularly," Fitzpatrick told Sky Sports.

"I don't know the details of [his relationship with McIlroy]. I'm happy to share a room with him, if that's going to be the case, I can corner him off for everyone else."

In August, the Asian Tour’s International Series returns to England for the second year running, this time at Close House near Newcastle, and it will have a significant amount of star quality, too.

That’s because 10 LIV Golf players will tee it up at the event. One of those is Lee Westwood. The Former World No.1 has a strong association to the venue, and opened its Colt Course in 2011, where the tournament will be played.

The Majesticks GC co-captain explained why the venue will be perfect such big occasion. He said: “I’ve had the privilege of playing at home in tournament situations before, and there is truly nothing quite like it. Local excitement is building nicely with some of the players confirmed.

“I’ve been embraced by the people of Northumbria since I set up home there; their passion for sport is unrivaled and the full field will feel that during the tournament week – the atmosphere will be tremendous.”

Westwood is far from the only high-profile player who will be in the field, though. Another will be 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed, who will be joined by another Major winner, 2010 US Open champion Graeme McDowell.

Adding to the star appeal will be 2023 PIF Saudi International champion Abraham Ancer, while Crushers GC player Anirban Lahiri will appear in his second International Series start of the year after also taking part in the Vietnam event.

Spaniard Eugenio Chacarra, who won the 2022 LIV Golf Bangkok tournament, will also play, along with three-time PGA Tour winner Jason Kokrak and Cleeks GC player Richard Bland. Newcomers to LIV Golf in 2023 Brendan Steele and Dean Burmester complete the list of LIV Golf players confirmed to play.

Head of the International Series, Rahul Singh, said: “Having the likes of Lee Westwood, Patrick Reed, Abraham Ancer and other LIV stars confirmed for International Series England is demonstrative of the growing strength of The International Series and the allure of the fabulous Lee Westwood Colt Course at Close House.

“We are returning to England’s North East after being made to feel so welcome last year, despite restrictions imposed by the pandemic. We are ready to renew the fervour this year and welcome spectators to what stands to be the biggest International Series event yet.”

The tournament takes place between 17 and 20 August during a gap in the LIV Golf schedule before its final three tournaments, beginning with September’s tournament in Illinois. That will give the players a chance to accumulate world ranking points in the tournament, which LIV Golf events can’t currently offer.

The tournament, which marks the halfway point of the International Series season, will also offer players the chance to climb the Order of Merit, currently headed by former US Amateur champion Andy Ogletree.

On 27 June, a qualifier will be held for the event, which offers a potential pathway to LIV Golf.

Tickets to the International Series England event are available at SeeTickets with prices starting from £10 and free admission for under-16s when entering with a paying adult.

Rory McIlroy thinks LIV Golf player Brooks Koepka deserves to be in the Ryder Cup, but European players who play in LIV shouldn't be considered.

The American has been in imperious form in recent weeks. After finishing joint runner-up at the Masters, he followed that performance with victory in the second Major of the year, the PGA Championship at Oak Hill. That has left him with an excellent chance of automatic qualification for Team USA in the tournament at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.

McIlroy, who will appear in this week’s designated event on the PGA Tour, The Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village, admitted Koepka’s form offers a compelling reason for his inclusion in the biennial tournament.

He said: “I mean, I certainly think Brooks deserves to be on the United States team. I think with how he's played, I mean, he's second in the US standings, only played two counting events. I don't know if there's anyone else on the, you know, on the LIV roster that would make the team on merit and how they're playing. But Brooks is definitely a guy that I think deserves to be on the US team."

However, McIlroy doesn’t think LIV Golf players who would otherwise be eligible for Luke Donald’s Team Europe should play. Crucially, the DP World Tour won a legal battle against LIV Golf players in April, and that appears to be a key reason why, according to the Northern Irishman, the likes of Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood shouldn't be considered.

He said: “I have different feelings about the European team and the other side and sort of how that has all transpired and, yeah, I don't think any of those guys should be a part of the European team."

Last week, Garcia revealed he had spoken to Donald, who had told him he had “no chance” of making the team. That was met with disappointment by World No.2 Jon Rahm, who expressed his sadness that "politics have gotten in the way" of the Ryder Cup.

Rahm, who is also playing in this week’s tournament, said: “It's the best Europeans against the best Americans, period. And whatever is going on, who is playing LIV and who is not playing LIV to me shouldn't matter. It's whoever is best suited to represent the European side. And I have a hard time to believe that the best player Europe has ever had, the most successful player Europe has had on the Ryder Cup isn't fit to be on the team.”

World No.3 McIlroy is a shoo-in for the tournament despite a recent dip in form. However, he achieved a tie for seventh at Oak Hill, suggesting he’s not too far away from his best, and the 34-year-old admitted he is looking forward to the challenge teeing it up at Jack’s Place. 

He said: “I haven't won it yet. I would love to be able to put my name on the trophy and walk up that hill and get that handshake from Jack. That would be pretty nice to do. So, yeah, I'm excited to be back, excited to get on a nice little run of golf here coming up over the next few weeks and, yeah, always good to be in Muirfield Village."

Ian Poulter has responded to Jon Rahm's support for Ryder Cup legend Sergio Garcia by saying the World No.2 is "the only person who gets it" as the European side looks to be without LIV Golfers.

"it’s just golf.. politics aside it’s just golf," Poulter wrote on Twitter in reply to a video of Rahm speaking ahead of the Memorial Tournament.

Rahm was passionate in voicing how he'll miss Sergio Garcia in Rome this year and remained adamant that Team Europe should be made up of the 12 best players regardless of which tour they play on.

“I'm going to miss him. We had a great partnership at Whistling Straits," Rahm said of his fellow Spaniard, who last week said that Luke Donald essentially told him he had no chance of making the team.

"I'm going to mention history again one more time. A Spanish duo in the Ryder Cup I think to me is embedded into the roots of the Ryder Cup. Look with Seve and Ollie were able to do throughout their partnership, right. So it's a little sad to me that politics have gotten in the way of such a beautiful event.

“It's the best Europeans against the best Americans, period. And whatever is going on, who is playing LIV and who is not playing LIV to me shouldn't matter. It's whoever is best suited to represent the European side.

"And I have a hard time to believe that the best player Europe has ever had, the most successful player Europe has had on the Ryder Cup isn't fit to be on the team.”

“I was excited about the possibility of playing with Jon again, and I know that Jon was also excited about that possibility, too," Garcia said last week. "Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen, at least for now.”

Garcia, Poulter, Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson and Richard Bland have all resigned their DP World Tour memberships so will not be featuring in any future Ryder Cups as things stand. The resignations came after the DP World Tour won February's arbitration panel hearing against its members who played in LIV tournaments despite not having conflicting event releases signed off by the tour.

It means that the DP World Tour is able to fine and suspend players for going against declined releases, meaning that LIV players would face huge fines and suspensions for continuing to play on the Saudi-backed tour while remaining members of the European circuit.

Andy Ogletree is once again preparing to play in a LIV Golf tournament despite initially being dropped after just one event in 2022.

The 2019 US Amateur champion had been one of the initial intake for LIV Golf’s inaugural tournament at London’s Centurion Club. However, after finishing in last position of the individual standings in that tournament, he was left out of the remaining events that year and later admitted he “kind of got the boot.”

That has all changed in 2023. Not only is the 25-year-old leading the Asian Tour’s International Series Order of Merit – a position that, if he still holds it at the end of the season, will see him make a permanent return to LIV Golf - but he has filled in on a temporary basis twice this year.

Ogletree replaced Crushers GC’s Anirban Lahiri for the LIV Golf Orlando event, where he finished tied for 41st. Then, in the LIV Golf Tulsa earlier in the month, he played the final round for Majesticks GC following Lee Westwood’s withdrawal, impressing with a round of eight-under.

That performance has been rewarded with another appearance in this week’s tournament, where he will once again play for Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC after the withdrawal of Paul Casey.

Casey had been in invited to play in the second Major of the year, the PGA Championship, at Oak Hill Country Club. However, he was forced to withdraw after aggravating toe and knee injuries. Casey later admitted he felt “awful” about having to pull out having been given a surprise invitation.

DeChambeau gave an update on Casey’s recovery in the build-up to this week’s LIV Golf DC event, saying: “He's in a place where he's recovering, and he'll be good in a couple weeks he told me, so no issues with that.”

In the meantime, it offers another chance for Ogletree to impress. DeChambeau explained he had every confidence in him to do so. He said: “It's kind of hard not to pick him. I'm looking forward to some more good scores out of him. He's a great kid, great player. I love having him on the team, and he'll be a tremendous asset."

LIV Golf DC begins at Trump National Golf Club on Friday and is the seventh tournament in the schedule. Crushers GC are currently fourth in the team standings.

Former teen prodigy Ryo Ishikawa has qualified for June’s US Open at LA Country Club.

The Japanese player has secured his place in the third Major of the year after competing in a 36-hole qualifier in his homeland.

Ishikawa rose to prominence when became the youngest player to win a tournament on the Japan Golf Tour after claiming victory in the 2007 Munsingwear Open KSB Cup at the age of just 15 years and 8 months.

At that point, he had seemed set for a stellar career, a notion that was enhanced two years later when, aged 17, he was paired with Tiger Woods and Lee Westwood at the Open. It didn’t work out for the player in that tournament, as he missed the cut, but he memorably competed against Woods again in 2011 when he played against him for the International team in the Presidents Cup.

In those early years, Ishikawa had been dubbed by some as “the new Tiger Woods.” However, hopes that he would go on to enjoy a career comparable to the 15-time Major winner faded despite him becoming the youngest player to reach the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking in 2009, aged 18. To date, his highest world ranking stands at World No.29, which he achieved in November 2009.

Despite failing to fulfill those sky-high expectations, the 31-year-old still has an enviable record, including 18 Japan Tour victories. One of those, the 2010 Crowns at Nagoya Golf Club, included a round of 58, while his most recent win on the Tour came just last year in the Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters – his third victory in the tournament. He is currently ranked World No.257.

While Ishikawa has played in the US Open six times, he has yet to make a significant impact, with a tie for 30th in 2011 his best finish so far. Nevertheless, the year before that, at Pebble Beach, he caught the attention of many fans after challenging towards the top of the leaderboard while wearing a striking pink outfit. He even finished the Friday tied for second before eventually settling for a T33. His most recent appearance in the tournament came last year, where he missed the cut.

Across all four Majors, Ishikawa’s best finish came in a tie for 20th in the 2011 Masters at Augusta National.

LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman and fellow players including Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Kevin Na were quick to congratulate the 2023 PGA Champion Brooks Koepka following his victory at Oak Hill.

The 33-year-old captured his third Wanamaker Trophy and fifth Major title in Rochester, New York, where he defeated new World No.1 Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland by two strokes.

Koepka was congratulated across social media by various key figures and big names in the game, and the PGA Tour even awkwardly were forced to post about the player who they suspended after he joined rival LIV Golf last year.

Take a look at how social media reacted to Brooks Koepka's PGA Championship victory...

Koepka posted a final round of 67 (-3) to reach nine-under-par, beating World No.1 Scottie Scheffler and playing partner Viktor Hovland by two strokes.

It's his first Major title in four years and comes after he has been plagued by injuries. He described this one as the "sweetest".

"This is probably the sweetest one of them all because all the hard work that went into this one, this one is definitely special. This one is probably it for me," he said.

He moves up to 13th in the Official World Golf Ranking.

LIV Golf has reportedly sought out the services of Newcastle United director Amanda Staveley, the women behind the Saudi Arabian takeover at St James’ Park, to try and smooth over relations with the PGA Tour.

Staveley brokered not only the deal for Newcastle but also the Abu Dhabi takeover of Manchester City thanks to her connections to the mighty wealth of the Middle East.

Newcastle’s chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan is also governor of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) that is bankrolling Greg Norman’s LIV Golf operation.

Now, the Daily Mail is reporting that thanks to her links to Al-Rumayyan, Staveley is seen as a possible peacemaker in the civil war that has caused this split in the game of golf.

Grabbing the likes of Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Cameron Smith, LIV Golf ploughed $2 billion into LIV Golf, but with that also came a number of lawsuits with the PGA Tour as animosity grew.

PGA Tour chief Jay Monahan banned the LIV golfers, while DP World Tour counterpart Keith Pelley fined his players, causing the likes of Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter to resign.

There seems no end in sight, but many have now said that it would suit the interests of both parties to settle the differences sooner rather than later.

A US District Court judge has recently agreed to a PGA Tour request to force Al-Rumayyan to be subjected to discovery, which LIV have been vehemently against.

Legal dealings in the US could also open the door to problems for Newcastle United - with the PIF and Al-Rumayyan being described as sovereign possibly causing issues with Premier League ownership rules.

Problems for Newcastle could be another reason why Staveley would get involved in settling the animosity between the two factions - along with the PIF's desire not to have a US court and the PGA Tour’s lawyers dig too deeply into their finances.

Staveley was present at the inaugural LIV Golf draft in London last year, and was also reportedly at the Masters at Augusta last month. 

Zach Johnson largely sidestepped questions about whether he’d select any LIV Golf players for his USA Ryder Cup team this year, saying the decision is “not on my radar right now.”

A huge question hanging over Johnson is whether he would select LIV Golf players like Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed for the Ryder Cup.

Those playing for Greg Norman’s new tour, although eligible, would likely require a wildcard unless they produce some stellar showings in the Majors to make enough points and finish in the top six.

And while it seems unlikely a player like Reed or DeChambeau would be any good for the team room, Koepka and to a larger extent Johnson seem universally liked by the players still on the PGA Tour and could slip right in.

And while Luke Donald now has clarity with European stalwarts Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Henrik Stenson resigning, Johnson is still facing those awkward questions.

Questions the Team USA captain largely sidestepped at the PGA Championship by insisting his wildcard picks were “not even a discussion item” right now, but did admit that the six automatic qualifiers will have their say, adding he’ll let “those guys that make it on merit help me formulate my team.”

The captain does seem open to LIV Golf players taking part, but hinted he’d not spoken to either his namesake Dustin Johnson or Koepka – and it seems they’ll find it hard to impress him unless it’s in the Majors.

“Really difficult for me to judge,” Johnson added. “I don't know the golf courses they're playing. Never seen them. I'm not there on foot in person.

“I get to see them, I guess, technically three or four weeks a year, this year. So that part is difficult, but you're talking about a number of guys that are my friends. I would fully embrace the opportunity to speak with them if they want to chat with me. That would be amazing.

“I'm an open book. They can call me. They have my number, et cetera, et cetera. I'm not going to sit here and say that I'm shutting that down. I am fully in as the Ryder Cup captain for the Team USA and whatever that looks like.

And on Dustin Johnson’s chances, he added: “You're talking about an individual whose resume is extremely deep and wide. He's certainly in my generation one of the best players I've ever competed against, but it's not fair for me to guess his true form or anybody's true form that I can't witness.”

He had a similar message for Koepka despite his Masters display: “He played really good that one week, but it's one week. I don't want to sit here and say that it's concrete, it's the only thing we're going to be looking at.

“It's one week, at a major venue, at the Masters tournament. He played great. There's still a lot of golf between now and then.”

LIV Golf stars have talked a lot about the positives of joining Greg Norman’s new golf tour, but the overriding factor of the financial rewards have been fully shown by the appearance of several in the latest rich list – even after big drops in sponsorship.

The likes of Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau have been banned from the PGA Tour, while Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia have resigned from the DP World Tour after being fined for playing LIV Golf events.

While losing their Tour status and likely Ryder Cup futures has undoubtedly hurt their golfing legacies in some quarters, it could also have cost them financially with sponsors not wanting to be involved in such a divisive topic.

However, with the beauty of guaranteed payments and signing-on bonuses the Saudi-backed operation has paid out, overall the LIV Golf players are still getting richer quicker – as proven by several making it onto Forbes' Highest Paid Athletes list.

What’s more remarkable, and proves a point for many, is that some of the players who appear on the list have had very little on-course success, even in LIV Golf, but have still pocketed huge sums thanks to LIV’s signing bonuses.

So while off-course endorsements have gone down, LIV Golf stars are in the money, and none more so than Johnson who split from Adidas and RBC but made a huge $107m thanks to a whopping signing bonus.

Mickelson has lost some of the biggest sponsorship deals around, but as the face of LIV he’s made $106m despite just $2m coming from endorsements.

It is perhaps Sergio Garcia’s name next to a $46m total that raised the most eyebrows though, considering the Spaniard hasn’t won a tournament anywhere since October 2020.

Garcia did make a playoff for the LIV Golf event in Singapore recently but that’s as close as he has been to winning an individual title for some time.

Given his performances, the fact Garcia claimed $43m of his total in on-course earnings compared to World No.1 and fellow Spaniard Jon Rahm making $28m is perhaps the starkest contrast of the lot – and proves just what huge financial gains can be achieved by playing for LIV.

DeChambeau took home $68m for his on-course efforts yet he's also not exactly torn it up on the LIV Golf tour - but was of course a marquee signing.

Some will say that a criticism laid against LIV of rewarding mediocrity has been clearly shown in these figures – after all Mickelson even now still has a best finish of eighth in LIV in one of just four top 20 finishes in 13 events, yet has still been massively rewarded.

Mickelson did challenge at the Masters though and if he’s up there again on the PGA Championship leaderboard some will argue that less golf and more money is the ideal scenario.   

Of course, where this money is coming from and what LIV golf is doing in the world of golf are also factors in this continuing saga, but for those who “are just here to play golf” it seems the rewards are huge – no matter how you play or how many endorsement deals you lose.

The European Ryder Cup side has taken somewhat of a hit over the past month. After the DP World Tour won its February arbitration hearing against a number of its members who play in LIV Golf, many of those who joined the Saudi-backed circuit resigned their membership after fines and suspensions were issued.

Obviously, the news has affected Team Europe, with many legends of the Ryder Cup, like Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter not eligible to feature in either a playing or captaincy role. However, that's now by-the-by and, as current European Ryder Cup captain, Luke Donald, stated in a press conference at the PGA Championship, "ultimately, that was their decision."

Donald, who took over the role after Henrik Stenson joined the LIV circuit back in July 2022, spoke ahead of the second Major of the year, with the former World No.1 stating: "As I said a couple weeks ago, it's a shame that there were some resignations. A lot of these guys have built their legacy around the DP World Tour and their participation and everything with the Ryder Cup. Ultimately, that was their decision and, unfortunately they're off the table now for selection purposes for myself."

He went on to add: "As I said, I've always tried to concentrate on looking at all the players that week in, week out are committed to try and make that Ryder Cup and that hasn't changed. My situation is what it is. I've got to always take what I have in front of me and kind of go forward. I'm still excited about all the players we have on offer, both rookies and established players, and I think our team will be very good."

Along with Team Europe, Team USA have also lost a number of individuals to LIV, with the likes of Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed and Bryson DeChambeau all leaving the PGA Tour to pursue their venture elsewhere. Although the PGA Tour has imposed sanctions on these players, they are, theoretically, available to qualify or get picked for the American side, something which Donald hasn't spoken about with opposition captain, Zach Johnson.

"I think in terms of what Zach is doing and his options, I think that's kind of his call," claimed Donald. "Whether LIV players play on his team, again, I haven't really talked to him much about it as a captains' agreement. Let's not forget there's still LIV players that can still play on my team. They're still eligible if they're members of the Tour and were born in Europe. That is still a possibility for some guys...

"To be honest, I think that the team selections should be pretty separate. I'm in charge of the European team and what's best for us, and he's in charge of the US Team and what's best for him. I think that's just how it should be."

Getting underway at the end of September, there is still plenty of golf to be played between now and the first tee shot at Marco Simone. However, one thing that Donald openly admitted is that there will likely be rookies on his team, with the 45-year-old explaining that "there's a lot of different factors that go into it, but we'll have to see what the makeup is," adding later, "I probably won't go into names, but I think it's always good to see how potential rookies do in Major championships."

Billy Foster says it's "incredibly sad" that the likes of Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter will never captain Europe in the Ryder Cup after the trio opted to resign from the DP World Tour and effectively end their association with the biennial contest. 

A sports arbitrator ruled in favour of the DP World Tour against 12 LIV Golf players who appealed Keith Pelley's decision to issue fines and suspensions for teeing it up in the inaugural event on the breakaway circuit in June last year.

The three-person Sports Resolutions UK panel upheld the Tour's conflicting-event release regulation and Pelley's right to use it when appropriate to hand out future or retrospective sanctions.

Rather than risk further financial punishment, a number of LIV players quit what was formerly the European Tour, including Westwood, Poulter, Garcia and later Henrik Stenson, meaning none of them will ever be able to captain Team Europe, even if they do return to the Tour one day.

Foster, who caddies for Matt Fitzpatrick but enjoyed spells working for Westwood and Garcia previously, expressed his dismay at how the saga has unfolded.

"Something needs to be worked out. For me personally for what’s just happened - to Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter - I think it is incredibly sad," Foster said. "You can understand both opinions, I am not saying they should or they shouldn’t.

"I think it's an absolute travesty that those players, two of whom I caddied for, are not going to be Ryder Cup captains. I think that's incredibly sad for what they've done for the European tour and for what they've done over the years.

"I know people say they had a choice, they made their bed and they have to lie in it but they are in their late 40s and they’ve been offered an easier life for more money and less tournaments. 

"You can't blame them but they’ve still got a lot to give for the European Tour. So I think it's incredibly sad."

Westwood, an 11-time veteran of the Ryder Cup, hit out at Pelley after resigning his membership, saying he didn't "want to play under that sort of regime." Foster has been in contact with his former boss but didn't reveal any specifics of their conversation, although admits he can see both sides of the argument.

"I’ve been in communication with Lee last week. That will stay private but basically what I’ve just said. It is very sad it’s come to this. It’s wrong but that’s my opinion," he added.

"I totally get the other side of the opinion. I get it. But for me personally, for having grown up for 20-30 years, with these lads and seeing what they've done, to see it come to this is incredibly sad."

Billy Foster was speaking to BoyleSports about Golf Betting.

In March, it was revealed that the Asian Tour’s International Series would once again be coming to England after a successful tournament at Slaley Hall in 2022.

This time, the action will take place in August at former British Masters venue Close Hall. Before that, though, it will host a qualifier for the event, offering amateurs and professionals the chance to play for a share of the $2m purse in the tournament and the possibility of playing in the highly lucrative LIV Golf League beyond that.

The qualifier will be held on Tuesday 27 June from the championship tees at the Colt Course, with entry open to all amateurs and professionals, and with six places in the tournament up for grabs.

Managing Director at Close House Jonathan Lupton stressed the significant opportunity the qualifier represents. He said: “We’re proud to be hosting the International Series England later in August and are looking forward to welcoming the Tour for what is set to be a memorable tournament. I encourage any amateur or professional who is seeking an elevated tour experience to play in the qualifier, for a special chance to play this level of event on English soil.

“This is a great opportunity to compete in an event that now sits firmly on the strong Asian Tour circuit, amongst some golfing greats.”

The International Series offers an opening to playing privileges in the Saudi-backed League. For example, last year, Scott Vincent won the International Series Order of Merit and is now a regular with Iron Heads GC.

This year, Andy Ogletree currently leads the way, which will earn him similar privileges if he is still in that position at the end of the season. However, his impressive form on the International Series has earned him LIV Golf appearances this year in its Orlando tournament, which was held the week before The Masters, and a second event in Tulsa last week, when he took over from the injured Lee Westwood for the final round.

Even if a player doesn't win the Order of Merit, there will reportedly still be scope to earn a LIV Golf place via a qualifying school, called the LIV Golf Promotions Event. According to Golf Digest, the 72-hole event will be played in November, with players ranked between second and 32nd in the International Series rankings earning exemptions to it.

Anyone interested in competing in the qualifier for the Close House tournament can register on the official Close House website. The cost of entry is £125.

Bernard Gallacher fears the DP World Tour's strategic alliance with the PGA Tour could lead to it becoming an "upmarket Korn Ferry Tour."

The three-time Ryder Cup captain made the remark to The Telegraph’s Golf Correspondent James Corrigan. He said: “When I was on the board of the European Tour we always wanted to keep our independence and be able to make our own decisions. But we tried to find ways on to the PGA Tour for our best players.

“There were World Golf Championship events that our top guys could get entry to and if they played well enough in those and the Majors, they could win enough money to qualify for the PGA Tour. But it was only the top end of our players able to do that. But with 10 certain to get their PGA Tour cards now, my fear is that we become a sort of upmarket Korn Ferry Tour.”

Gallacher's comments echo those of LIV Golf player Lee Westwood, who described the DP World Tour as a feeder for the PGA Tour. Westwood was again in the news earlier this month when he resigned from the DP World Tour along with fellow Ryder Cup legends Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter. Henrik Stenson, who was stripped of the captaincy when he signed for LIV Golf, followed suit more recently saying the DP World Tour has "left me with no other choice" but to resign.

That means they can no longer become captains of future Ryder Cup teams and because of the situation, Gallacher, who led Team Europe three times in succession between 1991 and 1995, sees similar runs in the future, starting with Luke Donald. He said: “Because we’ve lost the likes of Westwood and co, I think we’ll need to have captains doing home and away matches, maybe starting with Luke now.”

The first three European Ryder Cup captains led the team for multiple tournaments before moving on. That hasn’t happened since 1995, but Gallacher thinks Donald would be up to the task. 

He said: “I know we’ve had so many big European names who have deserved their chance, but it doesn’t make sense just ditching successful captains after one go. The circumstances may now necessitate a change and in Luke we have a decent guy who will do all the preparation required and more."

Gallacher then turned his attention to the resignations of the players, and explained they have no room for complaint. “They must have known this was going to happen when they decided to sign up with LIV," explained Gallacher. "They’ve done it for money and that is understandable, but they can’t really moan because unless there was an agreement with LIV, this was inevitable. 

"And when the DP World Tour signed that ‘strategic alliance’ with the PGA Tour and effectively jumped into bed with them, any agreement was impossible.”

Finally, Gallacher explained that the inability of LIV Golf to award Official World Golf Ranking points would harm the Majors in the long run. He said: “LIV not getting any ranking points means there will be fewer of their guys in the Majors. 

"The Majors are getting away with it now, but as the exemptions run out, LIV’s presence will dwindle. And that will diminish the Majors because you won’t have the best players competing against each other. The Majors have to stay independent and devise other avenues for LIV golfers.”

The PGA Championship is almost upon us, with the second men's Major of the year seeing the world's elite head to Oak Hill for a chance at the Wanamaker Trophy.

With the full field confirmed, there has been a lot of gossip around those featuring, with Paul Casey receiving a special invite after the PGA of America honoured its exemption to him last year after he was out injured. In 2021, Casey finished T4th at the event so qualified for the tournament at Southern Hills, but couldn't play due to a back problem.

Originally, there were 18 players from the LIV Golf League on the field list, with one of those being 2010 PGA Championship winner, Martin Kaymer. However, the German has been battling injury throughout 2023 and, despite playing in Tulsa this week, he won't be present at Oak Hill.

Although Kaymer has also played in the last three tournaments on the LIV circuit, he revealed at LIV Golf Tulsa that: "I'm playing good. It's just a matter of would I like to go there with the mindset of whether I can actually win a golf tournament. I don't have that yet. I have not been practicing at all the last six months."

It now means 17 players from LIV Golf will be featuring but, according to Phil Mickelson, he feels that number should be back to 18, as the six-time Major winner, who famously won the event back in 2021, called for Hy Flyers teammate, Cameron Tringale, to be in the field, stating that “I hope he gets in next week. He deserves it.”

For now though, it's time to focus on the field, which will also be without former PGA Championship winner, Jason Dufner. The American, who actually won his lone Major at Oak Hill in 2013, hasn't disclosed the reason as to why he has withdrawn, with Dufner missing the cut in 11 of his 19 starts on the PGA Tour.

He will join the likes of Tiger Woods, Will Zalatoris, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood in not making the week in New York, with the tournament getting underway on Thursday 18th May.

First reported by The Guardian's Ewan Murray, it is believed that Porsche, who sponsor the European Open that gets underway in early June, may pull their backing from the tournament. This comes after it was announced by the DP World Tour that there would be sanctions imposed on LIV players which means they won't be featuring in any of their future tournaments.

Reportedly, it is the sanctions around Paul Casey, who is sponsored by the car manufacturer, and Martin Kaymer, one of Germany's most successful golfers, that have raised doubts over whether Porsche will continue backing the tournament in Hamburg, something they have done since 2015.

In the report by The Guardian, a spokesperson for Porsche stated that: “We heard about the individual sanctions of the Tour against players. But as those are individual we do not know, so far, what this means exactly to each player and are in contact with the Tour and the managements.” 

Along with the statement, the spokesperson went on to add that "the Porsche European Open is a great event. We are in discussions about the future of the event with the promoter and the Tour."

It's not just Casey and Kaymer who have been given sanctions, with the DP World Tour confirming that fines and suspensions have been issued to 26 players for going against conflicting event releases and playing in LIV Golf and LIV-backed Asian Tour events.

The fines are on a case-by-case basis and range from £25,000-£100,000 for each individual breach, the DP World Tour explains, with the suspensions reaching a maximum of eight tournaments, starting with the $2million Porsche European Open. 

Because of the sanctions being imposed, many players and legends of the circuit have given up their memberships, with Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood quitting recently, as well as former European Ryder Cup captain, Henrik Stenson, who stated that: "They left me with no other choice so I have resigned."

In the first of what is expected to be a run of further resignations, Henrik Stenson has quit the DP World Tour in the wake of the sanctions imposed on players who joined LIV Golf.

The DP World Tour imposed fines and suspensions on 26 players who played in LIV Golf events, with sums of £25,000-£100,000 for each event played in.

It comes after players were hit with £100,000 fines for playing in the inaugural LIV Golf event in London, and it’s proved to be enough for European stalwart Stenson to resign from the DP World Tour.

Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Richard Bland quit last week, and now the man who was originally supposed to be European Ryder Cup captain this year has now cut his ties with the DP World Tour altogether.

“It is sad that it has come to this,” Stenson told Golf Digest. “But it is what it is and it certainly wasn’t unexpected. They left me with no other choice so I have resigned. That’s it.

“I don’t really feel like it will do any good to dig into this too deeply. I’m appreciative of what the tour has done for me over the years. But they have chosen how they want to view the future. And we have obviously done the same. Unfortunately, they don’t go together at this point.

The 47-year old Swede was stripped of the Ryder Cup captaincy after joining LIV Golf less than a year ago, and his resignation caps a whirlwind of change in less than a year.

Stenson says he found out via a letter about the latest sanctions – and says the Tour has really left him with no other choice.

“When Richard Bland, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia resigned last week, the tour said they would have a statement the next day,” Stenson added. “Then the next day they said the statement would actually come next week.

“There were rumours that would happen today and those rumours were right. I received a letter, as did all the other players involved, I hear. The tour has taken a stand on the LIV events we all played in and that left me with no decision to make really.”

Although Stenson says he has issues with how things have been handled by the DP World Tour, he has no intention of going public on those – and insists he does not want to cause any rifts so close to the Ryder Cup in Italy.

“I haven’t added up the numbers on how much I was fined,” he said. “It was anywhere between £50,000 and £75,000 per LIV event, which added up to a substantial amount.

“I don’t feel like me spilling the beans and airing my views on all this is actually going to be what I should do. Doing that is only going to make the situation even more infected than it already is.

“As was the case when I resigned the Ryder Cup captaincy, I have my views on a lot of things that have gone on. But out of respect for a lot of people and what they do - and even those I don’t totally respect - there is no point in me digging any deeper.

“There is less than half a year until the Ryder Cup so it is best I don’t say much other than to say I’ve resigned.”