Lee Westwood sent a resounding reminder of his class by qualifying for The Open Championship at Royal Portrush, producing a stellar performance in final qualifying to end a three-year major absence
17:30 ET, 01 Jul 2025Updated 17:30 ET, 01 Jul 2025
Lee Westwood showed his class at Dundonald Links(Image: Ross Parker/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)
Former world No. 1 Lee Westwood will play in a major championship for the first time since 2022 after rolling back the years in final qualifying on Tuesday.
The LIV Golf star has not competed in a major since the 150th Open at St. Andrews due to his move to the breakaway circuit, which has seen him plummet to No. 4,639 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). But the 52-year-old sent a reminder of his class to qualify for this month’s Open at Royal Portrush, which tees off on July 17.
Westwood finished top of the leaderboard at Dundonald Links on the west coast of Scotland. He carded rounds of 70 and 67 to post seven-under-par, finishing one shot clear of Daniel Young and Angel Hidalgo. Jesper Sandborg and Connor Graham claimed the last of the five invites to Northern Ireland on offer, with the latter defeating fellow Scotsman Paul O’Hara in a playoff.
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Seven-time Ryder Cup winner Westwood was thrilled to seal his return to the major stage. He told reporters at Dundonald Links: “I’ve always said it’s the greatest championship in golf and as a British player you get phenomenal support. I really enjoyed Portrush last time. I finished fourth and played nicely.
“I’m just looking forward to enjoying the week at Portrush. Seeing a few old friends and enjoying that golf course. For me, it’s in the top three links courses in the British Isles.”
In a subsequent interview with Bunkered, he added: “I think if you play golf to a high level, the major championships are the ones you want to play. They are the biggest tournaments. It’s always nice to test yourself on the toughest golf courses against the best players.”
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Westwood finished at seven-under-par (Image: Ross Parker/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)
Westwood is among the best players in the history of the sport without a major championship on his resume, and it appeared he had run out of chances. LIV remains unsanctioned by the OWGR, limiting its members’ opportunities to qualify for majors, and Westwood bemoaned the situation last year.
“I think the Official World Golf Ranking has got itself into a real hole,” he told Australian Golf Digest. “It’s got itself to a point where it’s obsolete, really, if I’m being completely honest.
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“It’s managed to be so stubborn that it no longer ranks all the best golfers in the world fairly. And it’s gone so far that I don’t see how it can come back from the hole that it’s in because you can’t backdate them.”
For the next two weeks, Westwood can brush those frustrations aside; the Englishman has another chance to compete at a major championship when it appeared that chapter of his career had been closed.
While it was a moment to savor for Westwood, it was a different story for Majesticks teammates Ian Poulter and Sam Horsfield. Poulter finished three shots off the pace in the qualifier at Royal Cinque Ports, while Horsfield was disqualified after nine holes at West Lancs.
