LIV Golf’s Lee Westwood not fazed by 72-hole U.S. Senior Open; bothered by something else

Lee Westwood started the U.S. Senior Open at Newport Country Club with a respectable 4-under 66, but few could have guessed he was uncomfortable with a long-standing policy on the course.

And the fact that this championship is 72 holes, unlike the LIV golf events and PGA Tour Champions tournaments, which are 54 holes.

“I think we can manage it,” Westwood said of the 72-hole competition.

“I’m more concerned about playing with pants on.”

Unlike other top men’s golf circuits, LIV Golf allows players to wear shorts, whereas the PGA Tour and major championships do not allow men to wear anything other than pants while competing.

“72 holes is fine,” Westwood continued.

“Look down and see your legs in your trousers. I prefer my legs out.”

After resting his legs last week, Westwood achieved his best result in a LIV golf event since joining the Saudi Arabia-sponsored circuit in the summer of 2022. He started strongly at Newport Country Club to finish in a tie for third place and is in a third-place tie at four-under par with Padraig Harrington, Geoff Maggert, Alex Cheika and Bob Estes. That group is three strokes behind leaders Richard Green and Hiroyuki Fujita, who shot seven-under 63 on Thursday morning.

Photo by Jonathan Ernst/USGA

“I think I’ve been playing a bit more and I haven’t put my golf clubs down for a few weeks at all. It’s a good time of year to play some tournaments and when I’m not in the tournaments I’ll just keep an eye out and do a bit of practice. The weather is getting a bit better in the UK so the greens are getting a bit better and it makes me want to work. Yeah that’s basically it. It keeps me sharp,” Westwood said of his recent good form.

“I’ve always played better and been sharper when I’ve gone home and not put my clubs away. It’s about balance. Now I don’t want to play all the time and I can’t play all the time because it’s not good for my body. When I’m away from the golf course I try to do what I can, working more in the gym and maintaining my flexibility and strength – injury prevention above all else.”

Westwood started the tournament by hitting his second shot into 10 feet for eagle on the par-5 first hole, then made the putt and played the final 17 holes in 2-under, highlighting four birdies but plagued by two bogeys on the par-4 eighth and par-4 15th holes.

Not bad for a guy who wanted to play in shorts.

“You’ll notice most of the players are wearing shorts at practice,” Westwood added.

“I can see a lot of people finding these shorts very comfortable, especially when it starts to get a little hotter.”

Perhaps this will be another change that the professional game quickly adopts, but for now Westwood, and every other player in Newport this week, will have to keep their trousers on, whether they like it or not.

Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow For more golf articles, follow us on Twitter Jack Mirko In the same way.