Hoards of abuse were thrown at players who joined LIV Golf, as the Saudi-funded start-up burst on the scene four years ago.
Homegrown heroes like Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter were slammed by some fans for leaving the European Tour and taking big-money offers.
But whatever expletives you’ve uttered about them since then, there is no question of the presence they still carry in the game, and the value they bring to golf tournaments.
Value is the word mentioned in a question to Rory McIlroy when he was asked about LIV players returning to the PGA Tour, as it seems the game may be up for the once-resurgent rebel circuit.
Here is what McIlroy was asked at the BMW Championship in August:
Scottie Scheffler was asked about the possibility of LIV guys coming back and whether they bring value. In your opinion, are there guys, if it goes away, that should be allowed back?
His answer:
I’d argue: have they brought value to LIV?
This perspective isn’t quite accurate.
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Was Rory right to question the value of LIV Golfers?
As the summer heatwaves fade and burned-brown courses spring back to wet green, we enter a period when LIV rebels have always plied their trade and shared fairways with players they once shared most weeks.
In autumn, they’re mostly free to do what they like, as long as they have exemptions and invitations, and that has meant playing on the DP World Tour (DPWT), formerly the European Tour.
Both Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson have trekked to Scotland for the Alfred Dunhill in recent years, for example, as have Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton. And despite the cynicism of this most turbulent period of LIV’s existence, LIV defectors draw crowds, and the events are all the better for it.
Interest comes from players who you care about, who have made you feel something in your time watching golf. In Europe, those times have often come from the Ryder Cup.
This is why the older heads who joined LIV, like Westwood, Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Graeme McDowell still spark interest.
“I really don’t care what people think, to be perfectly honest. “It (invitation to play in the Dunhill) illustrates the fact that people like LIV players in their events. Promoters and sponsors, no matter which tour they’re on, they bring quality to tournaments,” said Westwood, speaking at LIV’s season finale in Indianapolis.
“I heard Rory’s comments. I thought Scottie (Scheffler) answered the question well, and Rory’s answer was just typical of Rory, really – it wasn’t well thought out. There are a lot of players on this tour (LIV Golf) who bring value to tournaments.”
It’s a sorry state where two of Europe’s greatest players are at odds with each other. One might argue Westwood’s move to LIV in 2022 began the spiky spiral; one might say McIlroy’s overly protective actions for the established tours are responsible, too.
Referring back to the Dunhill, we should rejoice that players Westwood and Poulter have entered this year.
McIlroy’s comments are tinged with disrespect towards those who shaped the DPWT – the very ladder McIlroy put his first steps on towards the PGA Tour and Grand Slam immortality.
Give me Lee Westwood over the vast majority of the PGA Tour any day
Westwood and Poulter forged their legendary careers on the DPWT, and although some goodwill might have been lost in verbal missteps and unpaid (then paid) fines, the tour and Europeans golf fans have plenty to thank them for, with the excitement they’ve brought over the years, especially at the Ryder Cup.
Westwood turned pro in 1993 and has won 25 times on the DPWT, which was named the European Tour for most of his tenure. Only McIlroy sits above him on the career money list, and only seven players, one of them being Tiger Woods, have more wins.
In the summer, players like Westwood are often asked if they will compete in Final Qualifying for The Open. That is because he is Lee Westwood, and he still has a lot to give to these tournaments.
Heck, Final Open Qualifying has basically become Sergio Garcia Day – another icon of European golf who brings people to the rope line.
In 2025 at The Open, Westwood played a stretch of nine holes at Royal Portrush in 29 shots. At 53, the Worksop man has shown incredible longevity by keeping fit, active and motivated to still play his best.
If he were on The Open Leaderboard, I’d be looking for his name well before the likes of Cameron Young, Russell Henley, and Sam Burns – all players in the world’s top 10 and part of a PGA Tour roster that McIlroy is never shy to sing the praises of.
They just don’t evoke the same interest and emotion.
When I see Westwood, I see Muirfield 2013, when it looked so much like he would win The Open. I see the 2010 Masters when he was destined for the Green Jacket. Of course, there was Turnberry in 2009, when an 18th-hole three-putt cost him a playoff for the Claret Jug with Tom Watson and Stewart Cink.
The same memories could be reeled off for Poulter, Garcia, and McDowell. Cynics might say they have been out of sight in the lucrative LIV wilderness, and out of mind, but in their hearts, surely, the memories these players have created are too great to forget.
Just because of pro golf’s spat in the last four years, just because of some cross-words, we cannot ignore what these stalwarts still bring to the game and the memories they evoke.
Now have your say
What do you make of this Lee Westwood-Rory McIlroy debate? Do Europe’s stalwarts inspire your interest more than PGA Tour stars? Tell us on Facebook!
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