Westwood says McIlroy's LIV value comments 'typical of Rory'

Rory McIlroy reignited a long-running feud with Lee Westwood this week after questioning, at a BMW Championship press conference on August 19, whether LIV Golf's players have actually brought the breakaway league value. Westwood responded two days later at LIV Golf Indianapolis, telling TNT Sports the comment was "typical of Rory" and hadn't been "well thought out."

What did Westwood say about McIlroy's comments?

Westwood said Scottie Scheffler, who also weighed in on the exchange, had answered the question better than McIlroy did. He argued McIlroy's framing ignored the market value individual LIV players still generate, separate from the league's own commercial standing as a broadcast product.

Rory's answer was just typical of Rory really, it wasn't well thought out.

As evidence, Westwood pointed to this year's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, where he said Old Course owner and DP World Tour backer Johann Rupert handed out roughly 26 or 27 invitations, with about 25 going to LIV players. Westwood called that proof that sponsors and promoters still want LIV talent in their fields, regardless of tour affiliation.

Where does the LIV-DP World Tour relationship stand?

Westwood and Ian Poulter both paid DP World Tour fines reported at more than $1 million each, clearing the way for them to rejoin the tour as soon as November after resigning their memberships in 2023. Both men still dispute the fines but chose to pay while indemnified by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. The DP World Tour is expected to resume fines and suspensions for members playing LIV events starting next year, which could reopen the dispute if a second iteration of LIV Golf goes forward.

An Official World Golf Ranking snapshot from August 17 showed four LIV Golf members inside the top 50 - Rahm, Hatton, DeChambeau and Niemann - accounting for 8% of that group, underscoring Westwood's point that individual LIV stars remain competitively relevant even as the league's own commercial position is questioned.

LoopGolf angle

Neither Alfred Dunhill Links host course nor LIV Golf Indianapolis' venue currently show LoopGolf tee-time availability, since Old Course access runs through ballot and member allocation rather than public booking. For golfers tracking the McIlroy-Westwood back-and-forth, the more useful marker is the calendar: Westwood's Alfred Dunhill return spans St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, three courses that regularly draw traveling golfers well beyond tournament week.