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“People might say that as LIV players we’re not welcome here, but probably because of the field, I’ve had a lot of people come up to me and thank me for playing.”
those words are Lee Westwood On the eve of his 588th, and possibly penultimate, European Tour event.The British signed an agreement to join life golf Last year, he and his other LIV colleagues faced the prospect of being exiled for a project funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).
But no matter what you think of his decision to accept Greg Norman’s offer — reportedly worth just under $30 million before bonuses — or funding source, Westwood and other big-name LIV players, including Ian Poulter And Henrik Stenson, who kicked off the HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship at Yas Links, the first leg of the 2023 DP World Tour, deserves a lot of praise.
“This is my 588th tournament and I love the European Tour and I think I support it more than anyone in my position,” Westwood told reporters in Abu Dhabi. “But I look at the Tour now and wonder what it is.”
To counter the LIV threat, The two traditional golf teams strengthen the “strategic alliance”. The move was hailed as a mutually beneficial one, and the fruits of the work won’t bear fruit until 2024, but early signs are worrisome. Yas Links is home to the first of five Rolex Series events this year, so the rewards are big, but not enough to lure a handful of household names.
“It’s a $9 million tournament with only one member of the top 20 in the world [Shane Lowry]Westwood continued. “I’m not disrespecting No. 15 on the Challenge Tour, but they’ve come into the week and with just over 120 players during the day, it’s a short field. I never knew it was this far down the list. We all know why. “
In fact, the concurrent Amex Championship featured five of the world’s top 10 players and Ironically, Jon Rahm won the race. At such an important time for the DP World Tour, Saudi International and Phase 2 life golf just around the corner Rory McIlroy, the de facto sound of golf? Where is the PGA Tour’s support? Where is the native support? nowhere to be seen.
McIlroy will be at the Dubai Desert Classic this week, but broader questions remain. A new series of 13 “designated events,” 12 of which you must enter if you want to qualify for the $100 million Player Impact Program (PIP), looks like the whole pond will make it harder for players to allocate their time. Since The vast majority of the best people in the world are in America, so it doesn’t take a genius to figure out where sacrifices can be made…
In contrast, despite the hostility and attempts to rewrite the history books, there is no doubt that the names of Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter elevated the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, even if by mistake. reason.
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