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- Several reports say as many as seven more players will jump from the PGA to LIV Golf after this week鈥檚 Tour Championship in Atlanta
WASHINGTON: England鈥檚 Lee Westwood says US PGA Tour changes announced for next season are simply copies of what the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit is doing.
PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan said this week at the Tour Championship that tour players have agreed to compete in 20 events next season, included 12 鈥渆levated鈥� stops with $20 million in prize money and minimum season pay amounts for fully exempt players.
Westwood, who jumped to LIV Golf for its record $25 million purses and 54-hole events, told Golf Digest in an interview published Friday that he sees the PGA as trying to duplicate what LIV Golf has already done.
鈥淚 laugh at what the PGA Tour players have come up with,鈥� Westwood told the magazine. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just a copy of what LIV is doing. There are a lot of hypocrites out there.
鈥淭hey all say LIV is 鈥榥ot competitive.鈥� They all point at the no-cut aspect of LIV and the short fields. Now, funnily enough, they are proposing 20 events that look a lot like LIV.
鈥淗opefully, at some point they will all choke on their words. And hopefully, they will be held to account as we were in the early days.鈥�
Several reports say as many as seven more players will jump from the PGA to LIV Golf after this week鈥檚 Tour Championship in Atlanta.
LIV Golf returns with events next month in Boston and Chicago.
Three-time major winner Jordan Spieth said LIV Golf鈥檚 formation was a spark to the PGA鈥檚 changes, which will ensure top-ranked players face each other more often.
鈥淚t鈥檚 impossible to not think that that was a catalyst for continuing to want to make sure the players that we have on the PGA Tour now stay on the PGA Tour,鈥� Spieth said.
鈥淲ould this have gone that direction this soon? Maybe not, but to say that it wouldn鈥檛 have happened in general, I鈥檓 not sure.鈥�
Westwood, who turns 50 next April, sees the 54-hole format as more compatible to his life these days.
鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to playing the LIV event in Miami at the end of October then not having to tee-up again until February,鈥� Westwood said.
鈥淎lready I can say to people, 鈥楾hese are the 14 weeks I鈥檓 playing next year.鈥� And I can have some fun in the other 38.鈥�
Westwood said he hopes to play in four DP World Tour events next year and looks forward to playing in the BMW PGA Championship next month at Wentworth, where many LIV Golf players will compete against players from the European circuit.