Getty
Lee Westwood (left) and Rory McIlroy (second from right) pose with their European teammates ahead of the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits.
The ongoing collapse of LIV Golf has reignited some old tensions in professional golf, with Rory McIlroy and one of his former Ryder Cup teammates finding themselves on opposite sides of another controversy.
Former world No. 1 Lee Westwood has pushed back against McIlroy and DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings after both accused LIV Golf of attempting to destroy the European circuit.
According to a November 5 report from talkSPORT, Westwood disputed the allegations and questioned whether LIV was being blamed for broader problems facing professional golf.
His response comes just one day after McIlroy publicly backed Kinnings’ accusations.
The disagreement has taken on additional significance as LIV faces a potential liquidation following the collapse of its proposed $300 million rescue deal.
Lee Westwood Pushes Back Against Rory McIlroy’s LIV Golf Accusations
The latest controversy began when Kinnings accused LIV Golf of deliberately attempting to undermine the DP World Tour.
Speaking to The Scotsman, Kinnings claimed that people connected to LIV had discussed destroying the European circuit with individuals he had known and trusted for decades.
McIlroy subsequently supported those allegations during his press conference ahead of the Abu Dhabi Championship on November 4.
“They took players, they took sponsors, they turned professional golf into an arms race,” McIlroy said, according to NBC Sports.
He also alleged that LIV representatives had openly discussed wanting to destroy the European Tour during the Masters at Augusta National earlier this year.
Westwood, however, offered a different perspective.
The 53-year-old Englishman told talkSPORT that he had never heard LIV players express a desire to destroy the European Tour.
He noted that several LIV players had continued participating in European Tour events, including opportunities to earn world-ranking points.
Westwood also questioned whether the accusations represented an attempt to blame LIV for everything that had gone wrong in professional golf as the breakaway league approached a possible shutdown.
He maintained that LIV had brought additional attention to the sport, despite the controversy surrounding its emergence.
The disagreement is particularly notable given Westwood and McIlroy’s shared Ryder Cup history. Both represented Europe in several competitions before LIV’s arrival divided some of golf’s biggest names.
LIV Golf’s Uncertain Future Creates New Questions for Westwood
Westwood’s comments arrive at a particularly difficult moment for the organization he joined in 2022.
Investment firm BC Partners Credit has abandoned its proposed financing arrangement for LIV Golf’s planned 2027 relaunch.
The company had prepared to provide up to $300 million to support a restructured league that emphasizes team competition and player ownership.
However, LIV failed to secure enough player commitments to make the project viable.
The development leaves the league facing liquidation after its September bankruptcy filing.
For Westwood, the uncertainty extends beyond LIV’s immediate financial problems.
The former European Tour standout previously surrendered his DP World Tour membership after sanctions against LIV players were upheld.
Westwood told talkSPORT that he had not been contacted about potentially restoring that membership and was not pursuing the possibility of becoming Europe’s Ryder Cup captain.
Current eligibility requirements would prevent him from taking that role without the necessary tour membership.
Meanwhile, players including Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia have already moved away from LIV’s proposed relaunch.
With the league’s future increasingly uncertain, the dispute between Westwood and McIlroy highlights some of the lasting divisions LIV has created in professional golf.
Henry DiGennaro Henry DiGennaro is a Heavy Sports contributor covering the Cincinnati Bengals and NFL. A Cincinnati native and lifelong Bengals fan, he previously covered the team for FanSided’s Stripe Hype. He graduated magna cum laude from Northern Kentucky University with a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies and a minor in Marketing. More about Henry DiGennaro