"Those two make zero sense" Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter blasted over Open decision
LIV Golf's Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter have reportedly decided not to take part in final qualifying for the 151st Open Championship.
Lee Westwood may have ended Tiger Woods' reign as the world's number one player, played a key role in multiple Ryder Cup success stories and amassed a dizzying number of wins worldwide, but unfortunately his career is likely to be defined by what he hasn't done.
We are talking, of course, about the absence of a major championship win despite clearly possessing the ability to have lifted the Claret Jug, worn the Green Jacket, hoisted the Wanamaker or emerge successful at one of the hardest tests in golf at the U.S. Open.
As you know, Westwood joined LIV Golf last June and wasn't afraid to highlight what he viewed as hypocritical behaviour.
And over the last 18 months the Englishman has spoken of how he believed that, despite his decision, the major championships should stand alone and LIV Golf players shouldn't have been punished for joining the breakaway tour.
Singling out LIV players is unfair, Westwood complained in the immediate aftermath of his opening round at the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews.
The LIV tour is just another tour, he said.
Fair point, you might argue. And depending on your stance, you also might posit it wasn't Westwood's fault his world ranking tumbled to the point of which he wasn't qualifying for majors.
That being said, you would expect a player of his calibre to still do anything possible to try and play in the majors?!
Which makes it all the more curious that Westwood has apparently decided not to compete in final qualifying for the 151st Open Championship.
He's not alone in that decision as - per The Daily Telegraph's Jamie Corrigan - Ian Poulter has also decided not to take part alongside the 287-man field vying for 16 berths at Royal Liverpool.
Sergio Garcia has entered. The Spaniard qualified in dramatic circumstances for the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club and finished T-27 in the major.
It means that for the first time in 28 years Westwood will miss an Open.
Westwood, at the time of writing, hasn't said anything about his decision or posted anything on social media.
He was recently barred from competing in the Senior Open owing to alleged unpaid DP World Tour fines he was slapped with for teeing it up in LIV events.
| Lee Westwood has vowed he will never rejoin the DP World Tour. pic.twitter.com/sYeVSNKkCx
— GolfMagic (@GolfMagic) June 16, 2023
Maybe his decision had something to do with that?!
The decision by Westwood and Poulter to skip an attempt to get into the Open field has baffled some fans, given their past comments about major championship golf.
"Those two make zero sense," one wrote, adding:
Another said: "It's good to see Poults and Lee putting an end to the charade and embracing the fact that they're fully washed and just not competitive anymore. Best to leave it to players who still matter. Cheers boys!"
Others were more sympathetic: "It's their life so they can do what they want. It's just sad to see them choosing easy street over the grind and will to accomplish something great. That's one of the reasons we love golf, it requires you to dig deep."
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Ben joined the GolfMagic team in September 2021, initially as a content executive.
These days, he assumes the position of content manager.
