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What Lee Westwood was told in a meeting with Jay Monahan before joining LIV that sent a shiver down his spine

Lee Westwood, one of the most decorated players in DP World Tour history with 25 career victories—placing him eighth all-time—recalled a pivotal moment that influenced his decision to join LIV Golf in 2022. During a private meeting in Ponte Vedra Beach with Jay Monahan and European Tour CEO Keith Pelley, Westwood said he was struck by Pelley’s vision for the DP World Tour, which reportedly included positioning it as a feeder circuit for the PGA Tour.

The 11-time Ryder Cup veteran, now 50, described the conversation as unsettling, feeling it signaled a shift toward U.S.-centric dominance in golf—a departure from his long-standing reputation as a global competitor who had won in more countries than any other player. Westwood’s departure from the European Tour came amid broader concerns over its future, as high-profile players defected to LIV, threatening its stability.

Though the DP World Tour has since stabilized without LIV as a competing threat, Pelley’s reported remarks now appear prescient in light of the circuit’s evolving relationship with the PGA Tour.

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