WESTWOOD BEMOANS LACK OF TOURNAMENTS IN ENGLAND

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE

PRESS TENT: TRUTH AND RUMOURS

By STEVE BESTOW (in America)

Lee Westwood is the face of the European Tour, to the point that no one was surprised when he (yet again) turned down a US PGA Tour card to continue playing across the pond in 2011.

But the relationship between the Euro Tour and the world's newest No. 1 player is not all peaches and cream.

The Open and the BMW PGA Championship are the only two events being staged in England in 2011. Why?

“I can’t get my head around it. English golf has never been so strong, we have 10 world-class Englishmen and we should all be getting together and playing an English Open or a European Open in England, even if the European Tour has to fund it," says Westwood.

“If the Tour want me to be an ambassador for an English Open then I am quite happy to do that.”

To a certain extent I can understand Westwood's frustration. Between him, Paul Casey, Ian Poulter and Luke Donald, the English are having a major resurgence on the world stage, and there are very few tournaments to showcase them on their home soil.

At the same time, Westwood is clearly barking up the wrong tree. Like any other business, the European Tour cares only about one thing: The Almighty Euro.

Hopefully comments like this will get the attention of some of the island's heavy-hitting businesses. When the Tour hears the cash registers opening, that's when you'll see more events in England.

Editor Colin Farquharson's comment: The Ladies European Tour has same complaint as their male counterparts. Sponsors for tournaments in England are not so much thin on the ground, as hibernating in the summer as well. There is not a single LET event being played in England on its 2011 schedule announced last week ... even though the LET website list of dates and venues does say that "ENGLAND" is the host country for the Ricoh British Women's Open (which is being held at Carnoustie!). Wishful thinking? 

+Any comments? E-mail them to Colin@scottishgolfview.com