Westwood Hoping DP World Tour Makes LIV Ryder Cup Decision ‘Sooner Rather Than Later’

Lee Westwood has urged the powers to be to make a quick decision on whether LIV players will be permitted in the Ryder Cup.

The 49-year-old former World No.1 now plies his trade with the Saudi-backed series, and in light of Henrik Stenson’s removal as Europe’s Ryder Cup skipper, it’s looking less likely that LIV golfers will be permitted to play. Westwood - Europe’s joint record appearance maker - says a quick decision is only fair, both on the LIV players and those on the DP World Tour who may suddenly have a better chance of making the team without the likes of him, Ian Poulter, record points scorer Sergio Garcia and Paul Casey.

“I would hope that the European Tour would make a decision sooner rather than later,” said Westwood. “It's only fair for everybody whether they play on the LIV Tour or on the European Tour, or on the European Tour and the PGA Tour to know where they stand as soon as possible.

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“I'm still eligible to play on The European Tour. I don't think I've been banned from playing any events. The (BMW) PGA Championship is still my next event on the European Tour at Wentworth. I've had no correspondence on that. That's an event, a qualifying event, for the European Ryder Cup Team. So you know, no decision's been made on qualification for the team, and my future or any of our futures playing The European Tour. So that leads me to believe that we're still eligible to play in it, unless you can tell me otherwise.”

Poulter, who like Westwood is now playing the LIV Golf Series, added: “We're not sure right now where the qualification criteria sits. I believe we're still all eligible to play. No decision has officially been made as far as I'm aware. I think the criteria is in three weeks' time, we start qualifying, but yet we still don't have a definite answer to what that is going to actually look like. So we haven't been given that level of information yet.”

Stenson, who has joined team Majesticks alongside Poulter, Westwood and Sam Horsfield, will make his LIV debut at the third event of the season at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey. He confirmed he made every possible arrangement to be able to maintain his position as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain while playing LIV Golf events, but he was still removed from his position. Fellow LIV debutante Paul Casey has already spoken of how the players are currently ‘in limbo' over their Ryder Cup futures.