Lee Westwood does not believe signing for LIV Golf should spell the end of his glittering Ryder Cup career.
Europe’s joint all-time record appearance maker in the biennial competition feels that as long as he fulfils his responsibilities with the DP World Tour - formally the European Tour - there’s no reason why he and the other LIV Golf players shouldn’t continue their Ryder Cup careers. Westwood was one of 17 players fined £100,000 and banned from the upcoming Scottish Open after appearing in the first LIV event at Centurion Club near London earlier this month, and while Ryder Cup bans have not been dished out, they are one of a number of measures that are rumoured to have been discussed.
“Why should it be threatened?” asked the 49-year-old former World No.1. “I've been playing Ryder Cup golf since 1997, and the criteria has been to be a member of the European Tour. Now, the criteria for being a member of the European Tour is to play four events. Why should they change that now? I've been a member of the PGA Tour and still played four events on the European Tour, and why would the European Tour change their rules so dramatically because another tour doesn't like it or feels financially threatened? There's just a bit too much protection going on for my liking and not enough transparency.
“I think as long as you fulfill the criteria to be a European Tour member, then you should still have the opportunity to try and qualify for the Ryder Cup team. I personally am disappointed with the European Tour's approach to it. I've been a European Tour member for 29 years, and a lot of those years I've also been a member of the PGA Tour, as well, and the European Tour, as long as I've played before, have never had any problems with me playing anywhere else, and now it seems to be a problem.”
