Lee Westwood, the 52-year-old former world No. 1, secured his return to The Open Championship at Royal Portrush, earning a spot through Final Qualifying at Dundonald Links on Tuesday.
The LIV Golf star, absent from majors since the 2022 Open at St. Andrews, posted rounds of 70 and 67 for a 7-under total, claiming medalist honors in the 68-player field and one of five qualifying spots for the 153rd Open, set for July 17-20.
Westwood’s journey was remarkable, having flown overnight from LIV Golf Dallas, where he finished T25, to arrive in Scotland at 7:30 p.m. Monday. Despite jet lag, he outshone competitors, including former Ryder Cup partner Jamie Donaldson, with a clutch second-round 67.
“I’ve been up since half-past one with jet lag, so I was starting to feel it,” Westwood told The Independent. “Royal Portrush is a fantastic golf course, and I played well there last time, finished fourth in 2019.
“The Open is the greatest tournament on the golfing calendar.”
The qualification marks Westwood’s 28th Open appearance and his first major since joining LIV Golf, which has limited major access due to its lack of Official World Golf Ranking points. His T4 at Portrush in 2019, one of five top-5 Open finishes, fuels optimism for a strong showing.
“I think if you play golf to a high level, the majors are the ones you want to play,” he told Bunkered.com, expressing joy at rejoining “old friends” on a top-tier links course.
Other qualifiers at Dundonald included Scots Daniel Young and amateur Connor Graham, who won a playoff, alongside Spain’s Angel Hidalgo and Sweden’s Jesper Sandborg.
Notably, LIV Golf’s Ian Poulter, his son Luke, and Graeme McDowell failed to advance at Royal Cinque Ports, while LIV Golf’s Lucas Herbert and Dean Burmester also qualified at other sites.
LIV golfers in the field at 2025 British Open
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Jon Rahm
- Tyrrell Hatton
- Dustin Johnson
- Brooks Koepka
- Phil Mickelson
- Patrick Reed
- Cameron Smith
- Jason Kokrak
- Joaquin Niemann
- Louis Oosthuizen
- Carlos Ortiz
- Tom McKibbin
- Henrik Stenson
- John Catlin
- Lee Westwood
- Lucas Herbert
- Dean Burmester
