The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Westwood backs call for Ryder Cup changes
Former world No 1 backs McIlroy’s call for change over Tour’s eligibility policy
Lee Westwood has backed Rory McIlroy’s call for a change in the rules regarding Ryder Cup eligibility following last month’s defeat at Hazeltine.
Only European Tour members can play on the team, a rule which meant captain Darren Clarke did not have the option of selecting world No 12 Paul Casey, who gave up his membership to concentrate on the PGA Tour.
“I think at the end of the day you want the best possible European players teeing it up in the Ryder Cup,” Westwood said ahead of the Turkish Airlines Open in Antalya.
“I can see the reason why they want you to be a European Tour member, but I think it’s unfortunate when you have clearly world class/Ryder Cup experienced players missing out because they have chosen to, for one reason or another, live in America or play golf solely in America.
“I can always sympathise with them because I don’t see why that personal decision should affect whether you can play in the Ryder Cup or not.
“At the end of the day, you’re still European and you still have the passion to play for Europe and represent them.
“If you prove that you’re world class on, say, the PGA Tour and not the European Tour, why should that have any bearing on whether you can play or not?”
It appears unlikely that Westwood and McIlroy will get their wish however, with Ryder Cup eligibility one of the ways the European Tour can try to prevent its top stars from playing full-time on the more lucrative PGA Tour.
To maintain membership, players are only required to play in a minimum of five tournaments, not including the majors and World Golf Championship events.
Meanwhile tournament organisers and fellow players have expressed their disappointment at McIlroy’s absence from the event in Antalya, which gets under way today.
The £5.7m competition has been hit by a spate of withdrawals, including that of headline attraction McIlroy, due to safety fears surrounding the first of the three Final Series events.
The European Tour is understood to have been on the verge of cancelling the tournament last week after an explosion in a car parked outside the Antalya Trade and Industry Chamber injured around a dozen people on Tuesday.
However, Turkish Golf Federation president Ahmet Agaoglu hailed the tournament venue as the safest in the world – it hosted world leaders at the G20 summit in 2015 – as Westwood insisted he had no qualms about competing.
“For those who worry about such things there is no safe place in the world,” Agaoglu said at the Regnum Carya Golf and Spa Resort.
“I do not see pulling out of events as the right approach to take.
“I’m a little bit surprised and disappointed because I learnt Rory pulled out from the media. Tiger (Woods) sent me an email an hour before he makes the press release (announcing he would not make his comeback from injury).
“We have to respect a little bit the sponsors because they are investing huge money. Antalya is one of the largest tourist destinations in the world and not a single person died or was injured by any terrorist attack.
“This is the safest city in Turkey and also the safest hotel and golf course in the world.”
Asked if he had any doubts about playing the event, Westwood said: “The world we live in, anything can happen anywhere and Turkey is no different to anywhere else.”