Lee Westwood yet to sign for LIV 2.0 as playing future remains unresolved

Lee Westwood has not signed for the proposed LIV 2.0 competition and has yet to discuss a return to the DP World Tour, leaving his next playing commitment unresolved. According to BBC Sport, the 53-year-old Englishman told The Chipping Forecast podcast that the terms presented to him were not acceptable and that details of the proposed competition still needed work.

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The former world number one joined LIV Golf when the Saudi-backed circuit launched in 2022. Its future is now uncertain following the withdrawal of backing from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and a filing for bankruptcy protection last month. BBC Sport reported that LIV had secured potential financing of $300m from BC Partners Credit, but only a small number of players had committed to the proposed 2027 competition.

Westwood said his earnings during his time with LIV meant he no longer needed to play for financial reasons, although he still enjoyed competing. He also defended his decision to join the league, saying it had given him financial security for life. That move cost him the opportunity to captain Europe's Ryder Cup team in 2023, according to the BBC report.

Despite not signing a new agreement, Westwood believes a revised LIV business could succeed. He said the previous structure had involved excessive waste and argued that a viable operation remained possible. His assessment was conditional on the new competition getting started, however, and he acknowledged that attracting players was still an unanswered question. He offered no commitment to taking part himself.

A return to the DP World Tour would carry a separate obstacle. Westwood, who has won 25 times on that circuit and played in 11 Ryder Cups, would have to serve a 10-tournament suspension imposed for resigning his membership when he joined LIV. He said he had not held substantive discussions with the tour or received a complete explanation of his options.

Westwood outlined a possible timetable under which signing up on 12 November would mean serving the suspension through the South African Open, with an event in Turkey in May potentially his first opportunity to play. But he stressed that even that route remained uncertain. Neither a LIV 2.0 agreement nor a confirmed DP World Tour comeback has been announced.