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LIV Golfs Lee Westwood wishes US Senior Open adopted this
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Lee Westwood opened the U.S. Senior Open at Newport Country Club with an impressive 4-under 66, but nobody could have guessed that he felt bothered by a longstanding policy out on the course.

And no, it is not the fact that this championship is 72 holes, unlike LIV Golf events and tournaments on the PGA Tour Champions, which are 54 holes.

“I think I can manage it,” Westwood said of the 72-hole competition.

“It’s playing in trousers that’s bothering me more.”

Unlike other top men’s circuits, LIV Golf allows players to wear shorts. The PGA Tour and major championships, meanwhile, do not let men dress in anything but pants during competition.

“72 holes won’t be a problem,” Westwood continued.

“It’s looking down and seeing me legs in trousers. I prefer to get me legs out.”

With his legs out last week, Westwood posted his best finish in a LIV Golf event since joining the Saudi-backed circuit in the summer of 2022. He parlayed that T-3 finish with a strong start at Newport Country Club, where he sits in a tie for third with Padraig Harrington, Jeff Maggert, Alex Cejka, and Bob Estes at 4-under. This group is three strokes behind leaders Richard Green and Hiroyuki Fujita, who carded 7-under 63s on Thursday morning.

Lee Westwood hits a shot during the first round of the 2024 U.S. Senior Open.
Photo by Jonathan Ernst/USGA

“Playing a bit more, I think, and just having a run of a few weeks where I’ve not put the golf clubs down altogether. This is a good time of year to play a few tournaments. When I’m not at tournaments, keep my eye in, do a bit of practice. Weather is getting a bit better in England so green conditions are a bit better and that makes me want to practice. Yeah, that’s basically it. Just that sharpens me up,” Westwood said of his recent stretch of strong play.

“Always played well and been sharper when I’ve not gone home and put the clubs away. It’s a balancing act. I don’t want to play all the time now, and I can’t play all the time. It’s just not good for my body. I try and do what I can when I’m away from the golf course. I focus more on the gym work and staying flexible and strong. Injury prevention more than anything.”

Westwood began the championship with an eagle on the par-5 1st hole after sticking his second shot to 10 feet away. He made the putt and went on to play his final 17 holes in 2-under, highlighted by four birdies but beset by a pair of bogies on the par-4 8th and par-4 15th.

Not bad for a guy who wishes he could play in shorts.

“You notice most of the guys wear shorts in practice,” Westwood added.

“You can see how many people are comfortable, especially when it gets a bit warm putting a pair the shorts on.”

Maybe that will be another change the professional game adopts soon. But for now, Westwood and every other player at Newport this week will have to continue to don trousers, whether he likes them or not.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

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LIV Golfs Lee Westwood making US Senior Open debut wants
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Englishman Lee Westwood is fed up with the current schism surrounding professional golf, as the PGA Tour tries to strike a deal with LIV Golf’s beneficiary, the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF).

Westwood wants the best players to play side-by-side in every tournament, not just in the majors.

“No matter what the level of golf is, I think if the best players at every level don’t come together and play, there’s only one loser, and that’s the fans watching,” Westwood said Tuesday ahead of his U.S. Senior Open debut.

“We need to somehow figure a way to get the best players playing against each other more often.”

One consequence of the PGA Tour-LIV Golf divide is that the four majors have become even more prominent. Unlike regular tour events, LIV Golf players can tee it up at The Masters, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open, and The Open Championship. That means fans get to see the top players compete side-by-side only four times per year.

LIV has also seen success in recent majors, as four of the last eight major champions currently play on the Saudi-backed circuit. Look no further than Bryson DeChambeau, who won the most recent major at Pinehurst No. 2.

“When you look at the U.S. Open two weeks ago or the Masters or the PGA Championship, people are happy to see Bryson [DeChambeau] or Cam [Smith] or Jon Rahm coming and playing in those big events,” Westwood said.

Lee Westwood at LIV Golf Nashville.
Photo by Bryan Lynn/Getty Images

“It’s basically getting all the best players together in one tournament to compete against each other, and that’s what you want at the highest level. You want all the best players there.”

This week’s Senior U.S. Open features two LIV Golf players: Richard Bland, who won last month’s Senior PGA Championship, and Westwood.

Westwood earned a place in this week’s U.S. Senior Open because he has played on a recent Ryder Cup team. He represented Team Europe at Whistling Straits in 2021, earning a single point. The Americans trounced the Europeans that year, 19-to-9.

Less than one year later, Westwood joined LIV Golf, where he has not had much success. Yet, Westwood will tee it up with plenty of confidence at Newport Country Club this week, thanks to his recent performance at LIV Golf Nashville, where he tied for third—the best result of his LIV Golf career.

“I started to swing well, and my whole game was coming together when I played at LIV Houston three weeks ago. Then I went home and did a little bit of work on it. I probably haven’t been working as hard on my game as I would have liked to, but I put in a bit more work in the week off,” Westwood explained.

“Putted well last week. I sharpened my short game up because I’ve been playing more, and my game is in a really good place. Played well on the final day, which was good. I haven’t been finishing tournaments off, so having fun for the last four holes, and finishing that tournament off strongly has given me a lot of confidence going into this week.”

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.