Though LIV gamers have been banned from the PGA Tour, they may nonetheless play in some DP World Tour occasions, which Westwood felt gave them some “leverage” however “now LIV’s out [of] the way in which, they’ve misplaced that”.
Nevertheless, in July the American and European excursions extended their strategic alliance, which incorporates Annual Funding Funds (AIPs). Final 12 months that determine was £59m.
The PGA Tour additionally offers tour playing cards to the highest 10 finishers on the DP World Tour who usually are not already members, however Westwood believes “there are plenty of questions nonetheless to be answered” relating to the brand new phrases of their alliance.
“If [the DP World Tour] need to proceed having the PGA Tour bankrolling them, there are going to be some large asks from the PGA Tour,” Westwood added.
“If I used to be [chief executive] Brian Rolapp working the PGA Tour, I’d be taking part in hardball and making plenty of calls for of the European tour in the event that they anticipated me to finance it going ahead.”
A spokesperson for the DP World Tour advised BBC Sport that it stays in “a sturdy and wholesome place with sturdy money reserves”.
“Such progress is outstanding coming, because it did, towards the backdrop of havoc within the international golf market brought on by an entity which took prize funds to an artificially excessive stage and on the again of what has been confirmed to be a completely unsustainable financial mannequin working inside a false economic system,” a spokesperson stated.
“We look ahead to the 2027 season and past for a lot of causes – not least as a result of the participant curiosity in competing on our tour has by no means been stronger.”
Westwood didn’t decide to LIV 2.0, because it was recognized, and is presently “unemployed” as he considers his future however must serve a 10-tournament suspension if he opted to rejoin the DP World Tour.
The PGA Tour describes the Korn Ferry Tour as its “premier pathway”, with 20 playing cards on supply, and announced a new competitive structure in June with a Championship Collection and a lower-tier Challenger Collection.
The Championship Collection will characteristic a “restricted sequence” of occasions co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour, which has to this point introduced the prize fund for only one occasion in 2027 – the Hero Dubai Desert Basic in January.
“The PGA Tour put this ‘plan for the long run’ in place and the DP World Tour isn’t talked about an entire lot in that,” stated Westwood.
“[Rolapp has] already stated that the Korn Ferry Tour goes to be the principle route into the PGA Tour, which makes me assume ‘what is going on to occur to the DP World Tour?’
“I do not assume the DP World Tour has introduced any prize funds for subsequent 12 months, which is barely worrying, and what is going to prize funds appear to be from 2028 onwards? There are plenty of questions nonetheless to be answered in that strategic alliance partnership.”
