Lee Westwood has hit out at "brainwashed" LIV Golf critics. The 51-year-old Englishman was one of the first players to breakaway to the controversial Saudi-backed league back in the summer of 2022, and for his choices, he was hit with wave after wave of criticism both by fellow players and fans of the sport. Recently speaking about the backlash endured on the Fairway to Heaven podcast, Westwood admitted: "After 30 years of being a professional sportsman I've learned not to give a s*** what anybody thinks.
" Westwood had favoured the European Tour for most of his career, not having his head turned by the star calibre of the PGA Tour before his move to LIV. He added: "I've been a member of the European tour for nearly 30 years and I've won in the U.S.
twice, didn't take up membership there, you know, stayed on the European Tour." He added: "I enjoyed playing in Europe and that's where I felt like I belonged. Covid came along, a lot of people went and started up in the States because of world ranking points and various things.
But I stayed in Europe and played European tour events, to support them and you know add to those fields I suppose. So I clearly have a very different idea about loyalty than people who have said stupid things." Westwood then hit out at critics, saying: "I think a lot of those people are now starting to understand that they were being brainwashed by certain people with just purely financial motivations on their mind.
They were making up these stories and tr.