Lee Westwood still hasn’t paid £850,000 fine after making LIV Golf decision

LIV Golf defector Lee Westwood has reaffirmed his refusal to pay the £850,000 in fines he owes the European Tour. Westwood was one among the first set of golfers who defected from the traditional establishment to participate in the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series.

Consequently, he accumulated a substantial six-figure sum in penalties from the European Tour. Despite this, Westwood has consistently maintained he doesn’t plan to shell out the amount.

That’s despite still wanting to turn out on the PGA Tour-organised senior circuit as he makes his debut this week. Having turned 50 last year, the seasoned golfer was eligible to perform on the senior circuit in 2023 but couldn’t due to PGA Tour rules. 

The organisation has a strict rule preventing athletes from participating in PGA Tour or PGA Tour Champions tournaments if they’ve competed in the LIV Golf League in the previous 12 months. Despite these regulations, Westwood carries on playing for LIV and is featuringin this week’s US Senior Open owing to his involvement in last year’s Ryder Cup.

However, when queried about his massive fines in the lead-up to the competition at Newport Country Club, the Nottinghamshire-born golfer stood firm in his stance, reported The Mirror. “We’ll have to find a way around that,” he told reporters.

“At any level, it’s disappointing they can’t resolve it. The Champions Tour for me is important because people have watched me 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.”

Westwood has made it clear he believes he has every right to compete on the senior circuit, despite missing out on his first year of eligibility due to his involvement with LIV. The Englishman – who co-captains the Majesticks team alongside fellow rebels Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson – has yet to celebrate a win this season with his squad.

The ongoing discussions about a possible merger between the PGA Tour and LIV have seen several advances but ultimately have fallen through time and again. Nonetheless, Westwood remains focused on the fans, emphasizing their importance amid the ongoing golf rift.

“At the end of the day, we’re in the entertainment industry,” he added. “No matter what the level of golf is, I think if the best players at every level don’t come together and play, there’s only one loser, and that’s the fans watching. We need to somehow figure a way that we can get the best players playing against each other more often.”

Kicking off his US Senior Open debut, Westwood tied for fifth place after the first round, carding a four-under that left him just three shots behind leader Hiroyuki Fujita. Should Westwood clinch victory in Rhode Island, it would be a significant slight to the PGA Tour, especially as he shows no signs of paying the fines imposed by their sister organisation.