Liv Golf Pro cracks Russian jokes and explains why in the Southly League, why tide \ ‘over \’
Liv Golf League Pro Lee Westwood believes that if there are few questions about Russia, the story about the Pan Py Tour has changed.
Westwood was one of the aging European star conditions of the rider cup that fled the facility for the competing league in 2022. He has faced similar criticism, with some accusing the golfer and his colleagues of being complicit in exposing the sport’s human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia.
Notably, Westwood and Ian Poulter had a tense discussion with journalists ahead of LIV’s first event at the Centurion Club. Both players declined to answer a hypothetical question about whether they would attend a golf tournament in Russia under President Vladimir Putin.
“You don’t have to answer that question,” Poulter said, taking a sip of water, his hands visibly shaking. When asked if he would ever play in apartheid South Africa, Westwood similarly denied it.
Fast forward to 2024 and LIV are in their third campaign. Discussions are ongoing between the PGA Tour and LIV backers to unify the men’s game.
Given the early days of golf’s “civil war,” few would have believed this was possible. “If Vladimir Putin had a tournament, would you play in it?”
Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood refuse to answer questions about whether there is any place in the world where they would not play. pic.twitter.com/v9WkEYvDoy
“It felt like it was more accepted. Now there are fewer questions about playing in Russia.
“I think people now understand what it is about and are starting to see golf as a different form and are starting to enjoy it more.”
A common criticism LIV players face is the frequent use of the term “game progression.” Westwood seems to think this is unfair.
“We’re growing the game,” he said. “But myself, Ian and many other players have been developing the game for 25 years.
“We’ve had golf schools, academies, junior golf tournaments. “As you know, ‘game development’ is nothing new, it’s been around since the early 2000s.
“We are now paying more attention to this and opening classes and academies at home has sped up the process. You don’t want to miss out.
“In a place like the UK, kids have a lot of different sports to choose from and golf is probably fifth or sixth on that list. “In the US, we gravitate towards football, basketball and hockey, but golf is probably at the bottom of that list.”
Westwood continues, “We need to get golf higher on the list for kids and give them an easier route into golf and more opportunities.
“This is the place to grow the game and find new talent. “People seem to be drawn in and a little bit enchanted by this ‘LIV Golf, trying to grow the game’ story.
“I don’t know why that motivates them to do something good. “But we’ve been developing this game for literally a quarter of a century.”
