Lee Westwood seeking PGA Tour and European Tour release for Saudi-backed event
- Published
Lee Westwood has 44 career victories and has represented Europe in 10 Ryder Cups
Lee Westwood says he "and many others" have asked to be released from the PGA and DP World Tour to play in June's first event of Greg Norman's Saudi-funded LIV Golf Invitational series.
The $250m (£200m) series, is regarded as the first incarnation of the proposed breakaway Super League.
"This is my job. I do this for money. It's not the only reason," he said.
"But if anybody comes along and gives any of us a chance at a pay rise, then you have to seriously consider it."
Fellow Englishman Richard Bland, who is the defending champion at this week's British Masters at The Belfry, has also requested to be released for the event, taking place at Centurion Club in Hertfordshire from 9-11 June.
Six-time major winner Phil Mickelson became one of the first high-profile players to seek a release from the PGA Tour last month.
The 51-year-old American missed the Masters in April as he took a break from the game after apologising for his criticism of Saudi Arabia's regime.
It is unclear which other players have applied for releases.
The PGA and European-based DP World Tours have previously threatened lifetime bans on defectors to the breakaway project, which will include eight 54-hole events across Europe, America and Asia.
Norman has shelved plans to run the series as a league format, instead each event will run as an invitational tournament until 2024.
Westwood, who said he has yet to hear back about his request, believes the new series can operate alongside the existing Tours rather than threaten them.
"It's being portrayed as an 'us and them', whereas the people from LIV Golf, all the reports I've seen, have said that they want to stand side-by-side," said the 49-year-old.
"People always have a problem with change, don't they? They are sceptical about it and people like continuity and they like just the same to carry on.
"Change in competition is good in any walk of life. It shakes things up and keeps everybody on their toes and keeps everybody trying to improve and improve their product."
Saudi Arabia has been accused of investing in sport and using high-profile events to 'sports wash' its reputation in other parts of the world.
When asked about Saudi Arabia's human rights record Westwood said he believed the country was trying to change, adding that the PGA and European Tours had sanctioned events in the country before.
"I think Saudi Arabia is trying to become more westernised and make changes and they are trying to make changes quickly, and that's probably worrying a lot of people and scaring a lot of people," he said.
"But they are just trying to improve, aren't they? People give it different names. But I'm of a belief that sport and politics shouldn't mix."
In response, Felix Jakens, Amnesty International UK's head of priority campaigns, said: "Lee Westwood is obviously entitled to his opinion about the degree to which sport and politics should mix, but with the Saudi authorities pumping huge amounts of money into golf and other sports precisely to sportswash their battered international image it's clear that golf tournaments like this one are already political through and through."
The series suffered a series of setbacks earlier this year when the likes of former US Open winners Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau reaffirmed their commitment to the PGA Tour.
LIV Golf Invitational 2022 schedule
June 9-11: Centurion Golf Club - London
July 1-3: Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club - Portland
July 29-31: Trump National Golf Club Bedminster - New Jersey
September 2-4: The International - Boston
September 16-18: Rich Harvest Farms - Chicago
October 7-9: Stonehill Golf Club - Bangkok
October 14-16: Royal Greens Golf Club - Jeddah
October 28-30: Team Championship