Lee Westwood claimed that he felt a shiver down his spine when he was informed of plans to try and make the DP World Tour something of a feeder circuit for the PGA Tour.

Westwood is one of the most successful golfers in the history of the DP World Tour. His 25 wins leave him eighth on the all-time list, while he has also played in 11 Ryder Cups.

However, in 2022, he became one of the players to sign with LIV Golf. And it would appear that concerns over the direction the European Tour was heading in helped convince him to jump ship.

What Keith Pelley told Lee Westwood about the DP World Tour in 2021

Of course, it is difficult to criticise someone in Westwood’s position for deciding to join LIV. He turned 50 in 2023, so it was not as though he was gambling with the peak years of his career by taking the enormous riches on offer.

But as he told The Chipping Forecast this week, the Englishman was also given reason for concern when it came to the future of the European circuit.

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“You look back at my career historically, I’ve played all over the world. Nobody’s won in more different countries than me, and I’ve always considered myself a global player, and just over the years I think golf’s become too US centric. Those two weeks [in 2021] where I finished second, the Monday or Tuesday of The Players Championship, can’t remember which day it was, I was asked if I’d like a meeting in Ponte Vedra with Jay Monahan and Keith Pelley,” he said.

“We sat in a boardroom together and chatted, and I remember Keith saying to me, ‘oh yeah, it’s my goal, it’s my dream to have the European Tour feed into the PGA Tour’. At that moment, I got a shiver down my spine and I thought well, that’s just not for me. I didn’t feel like that was the way that the CEO of the European Tour should be talking, and it was almost like he’d given in and I thought I’ve got to do my own thing, what’s right for me.”

Light at the end of a long tunnel for the DP World Tour

Pelley may argue that he understood where the power in the game was when he apparently made that statement to Westwood five years ago. Thus, keeping a strong relationship with the PGA Tour was particularly important.

What definitely did not help was the exodus of legendary figures who decided to leave for LIV Golf. While their contributions cannot be questioned, they helped ensure that the future of the DP World Tour did come under serious threat.

It was an incredibly uncertain time for those at Wentworth. They have now found themselves in a much better position with LIV surely no longer any sort of threat.

Admittedly, some will argue that Pelley’s reported dream has unfortunately been realised. But there is reason for very cautious optimism now that LIV is facing its own fight for its future.