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The end of the DP World Tour season is quickly approaching with the tour-concluding tournament at the Jumeirah Golf Estates (Earth Course) in Dubai just one week away. The PGA Tour season remains in its off-season ahead of the resumption in January, while reports suggest that BC Partners have abandoned their plans to rescue the controversial breakaway LIV Golf league.
The divisive format has left many of the world's great players in the dark with Englishman Lee Westwood among them. The 53-year-old joined LIV when the Saudi-backed tour began four years ago. At the time, and since, there have been many vocal critics, with back-to-back Masters champion Rory McIlroy publicly admonishing the rebels, but this week, the Northern Ireland icon has backed one of his colleagues.
Express Sport rounds up all the latest headlines from the world of golf.
McIlroy has defended PGA Tour rival Scottie Scheffler after the world number one drew criticism for his lack of practice after the PGA Tour ends. By contrast, while Scheffler puts his clubs down during the off-season, McIlroy continues through the DP World Tour series and will set foot on the greens in Abu Dhabi for the forthcoming tournament.
He said: “I’ve seen criticism of Scottie Scheffler because Scottie doesn’t play, but that’s his decision. If he doesn’t want to, that’s his prerogative.
"I think Scottie being Scottie is good enough for the world of golf and he doesn’t need to travel all over the world because he’s got a young family and that doesn’t bring value to his life." The 37-year-old travels on the tour with his wife, Erica, and next month the pair will fly to Australia, where he will play the Australian Open before staying for the Cathedral Invitational.
McIlroy said: “I like travel; it’s all I’ve known. I’ve grown up on this tour. I’ve travelled the world since I was 16. I don’t know any different. That’s just what I like to do and it’s not out of any feeling of responsibility to the game or trying to be an ambassador. It’s just because I enjoy doing it."
Westwood is said to be "unemployed" as he considers his future in the sport. The 53-year-old has claimed that he has not penned terms with the new LIV, nor has he held talks over a DP World Tour return.
The Saudi Arabian-backed breakaway tour is in ruin after the Public Investment Fund (PIF) withdrew its backing after nearly £4billion was pumped into the league. However, last month the league was forced to file for bankruptcy protection before BC Partners Credit offered a £224m safety net - only for reports on Wednesday to claim the business has pulled out of the deal.
Westwood, while being left in the dark throughout, claimed he is "currently unemployed". He told The Chipping Forecast podcast: "There hasn't been anything presented to me that is agreeable for LIV 2.0, there are still a lot of things on that which need fine-tuning. I haven't signed for 2.0. I haven't signed anything.
"I've made a fortune over the last four and a half years. I don't really have to play golf again, but I still love playing golf so it's given [me] the option what to do over the next few years." Westwood was said to have won £16m in LIV prize money while Jon Rahm has said he is unwilling to join the second iteration of LIV.
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