Lee Westwood Still Unemployed, Rules Out Rushing Into LIV 2.0

Lee Westwood has described himself as "currently unemployed" after revealing he has not signed terms for LIV Golf's planned 2.0 relaunch, despite backing the project's long-term prospects.

Speaking on Eddie Pepperell's podcast The Chipping Forecast, Westwood said he had received no offer worth accepting for the revamped league, which is scheduled to launch in 2027. "I currently am unemployed," he said. "I haven't signed up to anything anywhere."

According to Yahoo Sports, Westwood told the podcast that the terms put to him for LIV 2.0 did not suit his needs, with details of the new format still needing work before he would consider signing again.

The league is attempting to raise $300 million from BC Partners Credit to keep the project afloat after Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund withdrew its backing last month, prompting LIV to file for bankruptcy protection.

Westwood, who joined LIV in 2022, said he has no regrets about the move and has benefited financially from it. "A massive financial package was put in front of me - I would have been stupid [to turn it down]," he said, adding that financial reward was not the only motivation but that he has "made a fortune over the last four and a half years" since signing.

He attributed the struggles of the original LIV format to excessive spending, saying there was "too much waste", but argued the relaunched version still has commercial potential, insisting "there's a business there" with 2.0.

Westwood also defended the original venture, suggesting it was never given a fair hearing by golf's established tours. He said there had been room in the calendar for 14 LIV events but questioned how much genuine discussion took place, adding that "it felt like when LIV came on the scene, the door was pretty much slammed shut straight away."

His career path also touched on the Ryder Cup. Westwood had been a leading candidate to captain Europe for the 2023 edition in Rome and discussed the role with DP World Tour chief Guy Kinnings after Whistling Straits.

"It was put to me whether I'd like to be Ryder Cup captain, and I had started discussions with LIV," Westwood said, recalling that he asked whether he could still take the captaincy if he joined the Saudi-backed series. Kinnings did not refuse outright but indicated the chances of that happening were extremely low, according to Yahoo Sports.

Westwood ultimately chose LIV over the captaincy. "But we make calls in life, you make a choice, and I have no regrets over the choice I made there," he said, explaining that control over his own golfing career mattered more to him than the honour of leading Team Europe.

A return to the DP World Tour would not be straightforward. Westwood gave up his membership when he joined LIV and would face a 10-tournament suspension if he sought to play on the circuit again. BBC Sport reports that any such return could not happen before the tour's May event in Turkey, though his membership itself is reinstated on 12 November.

Westwood's situation comes amid wider upheaval at LIV, with Jon Rahm among those to have left the series recently, reportedly over changes to its team format, while Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter have also departed in the past few weeks.