Lee Westwood in hunt to end 31-year wait after capitalising on $1m LIV boost

Lee Westwood has made a superb start to the US Senior Open, shooting a round of 66 at Newport Country Club on Thursday to sit on four-under-par for the tournament.

Westwood, 51, is playing in his first-ever senior major in Rhode Island this week. The LIV Golf star has enjoyed a glittering career in professional golf, having won 25 times on the DP World Tour (European Tour) as a three-time Race to Dubai winner.

The seven-time Ryder Cup champion has also won on the PGA Tour, and he topped the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) in 2010 to end Tiger Woods’ reign as world No.1. Yet Westwood has never won a major championship, finishing as runner-up three times.

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Westwood’s chances of winning one of golf’s four men’s majors – the Masters, the PGA Championship, the US Open and the Open Championship – were dashed after he joined LIV in 2022. As LIV events don’t offer OWGR points, he’s plummeted down the rankings.

Westwood is now ranked 1,444th in the world and hasn’t played in a major since 2022. Yet he now qualifies for the PGA Tour Champions circuit after turning 50, allowing him to take part in this year’s US Senior Open and make a bright start.

The Englishman finds himself on four-under-par alongside fellow European golf icon Padraig Harrington, who won this tournament two years ago. Westwood is a few shots behind early leaders Hiroyuki Fujita and Richard Green, but there’s still plenty of golf left to play.

There are five majors on the PGA Tour Champions circuit, including the Senior US Open. The other four big events are the Tradition, Senior PGA Championship, Senior Players Championship and the Senior Open – with the latter two taking place next month.

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Many legendary golfers who failed to win a major has tasted success in the seniors, including Colin Montgomerie, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Steve Stricker. Richard Bland recently became the first LIV star to win a senior major by claiming the PGA.

Westwood has entered this year’s Senior US Open in a good spell of form. Having struggled since joining LIV two years ago, the co-captain of Majesticks GC placed tied-third in Nashville last Sunday to post his first top-five finish on the Saudi-financed circuit.

Westwood’s finish in Nashville earned him $1million (£788,000) in prize money. Speaking ahead of his senior major debut, he said: “The Champions Tour for me is important because people have watched myself play and other guys out here play for the last 30, 40 years, and they build relationships with those players and they’ve seen us grow as players and people.

“Yes, people want to see the youngsters, the new guys on the block coming through and contending, but they also want to see the guys they’ve made a bond with over the last 30, 40 years. Because, from what I’ve seen, watching a bit of the tournament last week, Padraig is still playing some great golf and it’s entertaining.

“At the end of the day, we’re in the entertainment industry. It’s nice that the USGA and PGA of America and the R&A are trying to find a way to get everybody together more often.”