Lee Westwood has no regrets about turning down the chance to captain Team Europe at the 2023 Ryder Cup to join LIV Golf, as the former world No.1 revealed he is yet to sign a deal with LIV 2.0.
during an extensive interview about The Chipping Forecast podcastThe 53-year-old said he was currently “out of a job” and added that LIV 2.0 had not provided him with “something acceptable” for the league’s proposed restart in 2027.
Westwood has represented Team Europe at the Ryder Cup 11 times, tying Sir Nick Faldo for the most appearances at the biennial tournament at his last appearance at Whistling Straits in 2021.
The Englishman, who served as vice-captain under Thomas Byrne at the 2018 Ryder Cup in France, was one of the main contenders for the DP World Tour captaincy for the 2023 tournament in Rome.
“Wistling Straights happened and I had a chat with him shortly after [DP World Tour chief executive] Guy Kinnings talked about the Ryder Cup captaincy here and the captaincy in Italy,” said Westwood, who joins LIV Golf in 2022.
“It was given to me whether I wanted to captain the Ryder Cup and I had started discussions with LIV. I think I asked, ‘If I go to LIV, could I still be Ryder Cup captain?’
“They didn’t say no, but it was made clear that there would be very little chance of it happening and I decided to go to LIV.
“You call in life, don’t you?” Westwood added. “You make a choice and I don’t regret the choice I made.”
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Westwood equals Sir Nick Faldo’s record for most Ryder Cup appearances in Europe (11)
The DP World Tour dictates that a player cannot be captain or vice-captain of the European Ryder Cup unless he has renounced tour membership or has not met his minimum event obligations.
Henrik Stenson was then named captain for 2023 before joining LIV Golf and the baton eventually passed to Luke Donald.
Westwood, Europe’s most capped player at the Ryder Cup, was asked if he would consider becoming a captain in the future.
“I don’t know, I get asked that question a lot,” Westwood said. “I’ve always just wanted to play, I love playing golf.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Many LIV Golfers have already announced their retirement from LIV Golf, including Jon Rahm, Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia.
“When I was vice-captain, everybody in the team room was talking and I said to the guys, ‘You better enjoy it while you can because when it’s over you’re really going to miss it and I’ll tell you something, the only thing worse than playing practice rounds in the Ryder Cup is watching other people play practice rounds in the Ryder Cup.’
“I loved being a Ryder Cup player and being in that environment. I don’t know if I’d be a good Ryder Cup captain because of what I said in France. I don’t know if I’d like to see it.”
Going further, Westwood said, “I’m not really good at tightening control.
“That’s one of the reasons I started playing golf, before I got into golf I played a lot of football, rugby and cricket. The reason I enjoy playing golf is because the buck stops with me.
“I didn’t want to rely on other people and that’s probably why the Ryder Cup captaincy wasn’t such a high priority.
“When it came down to it, it wasn’t the be-all and end-all for me. I’m not sure I wanted it enough.”
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
LIV Golf hopes to relaunch in 2027, but questions remain over who will play on tour
“I haven’t decided anything”
LIV Golfers have a Nov. 16 deadline to reapply for DP World Tour membership, and Westwood said it is debating whether to do so.
If he reapplies, he will face a 10-tournament ban due to his decision to resign his membership on the DP World Tour.
“I haven’t signed anywhere, I haven’t decided on anything yet,” Westwood said.
“I haven’t put everything in front of me yet and I haven’t had any dialogue with DP World Tour.
“I know if I sign up, I’ll be banned for 10 tournaments. I looked at the calendar and I feel like the first event I can play on the DP World Tour is the Turkish Airlines Open, which is the first week of May, so I didn’t look any further.
“I have not been presented with anything acceptable for LIV 2.0. There are still many things that need to be clarified; deadlines have come and gone and I have not heard anything about whether I should sign.
“I did not sign [for] 2.0. So, literally, I am unemployed.”
Get the best prices and book a tour on one of 1,700 courses across the UK and Ireland