LIV Golf suffers a setback as veteran Lee Westwood withdraws from the first two tournaments due to a wrist injury

Another player has taken down LIV Golf. No, they do not anticipate another professional following the footsteps of Patrick Reed and Brooks Koepka. Instead, they are partly imitating what Phil Mickelson did a few hours ago. That is a way of getting out of the upcoming LIV Golf event. Lee Westwood is not playing in the season opener this week.

According to Westwood’s tweet, “Unfortunately, I won’t be in Riyadh or Adelaide for the start of the @livgolf_league season,n but I will be supporting @MajesticksGC from afar��������.”

He tweeted along with a graphic, which read, “Disappointingly, I sustained an injury to my wrist whilst practicing in preparation for the first event of the season. Thankfully, it’s nothing too serious; however, I’ve been advised to manage my rep count over the coming weeks. Therefore, I’ll unfortunately be missing this month’s LIV Golf events in Riyadh and Adelaide. I look forward to starting my season in Hong Kong and wish Majesticks Golf Club all the best under the lights & down under!”

Lee Westwood discloses his departure and return dates

The Majesticks GC co-captain, Lee Westwood, disclosed his return date in addition to his departure from Adelaide and Riyadh. He is scheduled to return for LIV Golf Hong Kong from March 5 to 8, 2026. That implies that the medical professionals have advised him to take a month off to completely recover from the wrist injury. Ben Schmidt will be replacing him in both events.

However, the Majesticks GC and LIV Golf wouldn’t have much to complain about it. Unlike Phil Mickelson, who also missed the Riyadh event in 2025, Lee Westwood doesn’t skip tournaments. The last time he was missing from the field was during the LIV Golf Tulsa event from May 12 – 14, 2023. However, the absence of veteran players does raise issues about LIV Golf Riyadh’s setup.

Why Lee Westwood and Phil Mickelson failed to attend LIV Golf events?

As previously stated, Lee Westwood hasn’t failed to attend any LIV Golf events except the one in Tulsa in May 2023; in contrast, Phil Mickelson skipped the Riyadh fixture in 2025 as well due to a shoulder injury. The fact is, the season opener in 2025 and this year is one of the most notable events of the season. This is because LIV Golf Riyadh is set to take place in the evening so that viewers in the Eastern Time zone can watch it. Last season, Scott O'Neil and company experimented with it, and they're doing it again this year and they're doing it again this year. While both seasoned golfers may have a valid reason for missing the Riyadh event, it’s quite concerning that it happened at this particular time.




Get the latest WPL 2026 updates including WPL teams, full WPL 2026 schedule, and live scores for Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, UP Warriorz, Gujarat Giants, and Delhi Capitals. Also check the latest WPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.