Lee Westwood: Breakaway tour invite would be hard to turn down

Englishman, 48, said money being proposed would present a 'no-brainer' for him, ahead of PGA Championship

Lee Westwood hits from the fairway rough on the 18th hole during round three of the AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch on May 15, 2021 in McKinney, Texas. AFP

Lee Westwood said he would find it hard to turn down an invite to the proposed Super Golf League (SGL), saying the millions being touted would make it a "no-brainer" for him.

Britain's Daily Telegraph this month detailed a renewed Saudi Arabian-backed plan to create a breakaway rival circuit to the PGA and European Tours, with leading players such as world No 1 Dustin Johnson and five-time major champion Phil Mickelson offered between $30 million-$100 million to take part.

The US PGA Tour has threatened members with instant suspension and a lifetime ban if they join the breakaway tour. Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy said the SGL was nothing more than a "money grab".

"I think there's pluses and minuses for everything," Westwood told reporters before the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island.

"I think they've obviously got a lot of money, they've come out and sent a few shockwaves about and people feel threatened.

"The people that feel threatened are trying to combat it."

The proposed global tour would begin in September next year, which would almost certainly force players to leave the PGA Tour in favour of the new money-spinning circuit.

Westwood said that at this point he was at in his career he would tempted to join.

"For me at nearly 50 it's a no-brainer, isn't it? If somebody stood here and offered me 50 million quid to play golf when I'm 48, it's a no-brainer."

The threat of a ban from the Tour did not seem to deter the Englishman, adding that it was "something you have to take into account".

"You have to get all the facts together, first of all. I can see it from both sides, but haven't really gone into depth in it."