Amid the raging LIV Golf players at the Ryder Cup debate, the Asian Tour’s International Series has invited 10 LIV players for its August event in England. Ace golfer Lee Westwood came out to state that he was excited to join the rebel series players’ pack at the event.
The International Series returns to England for the second year running in August. The event set to tee off at the Close House near Newcastle will have a stacked field headlined by 10 LIV Golf players, including the likes of Former World No.1 Westwood, 2023 PIF Saudi International champion Abraham Ancer and 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed, among others. Following the announcement, Westwood came out on Wednesday to laud the event and its venue.
The Majesticks GC co-captain revealed he was excited to return to England and explained why the venue was the right pick for the occasion. He stated that the local fans were some of the best he’d encountered in his career.
Speaking about his International Series England return, Lee Westwood said, as quoted by Golf Monthly:
“I’ve had the privilege of playing at home in tournament situations before, and there is truly nothing quite like it. Local excitement is building nicely with some of the players confirmed… I’ve been embraced by the people of Northumbria since I set up home there; their passion for sport is unrivaled and the full field will feel that during the tournament week – the atmosphere will be tremendous.”
It is pertinent to note that the Asian Tour’s International Series comes as big outing for LIV Golf players as they try to push their envelope outside of the Saudi-backed series. With many of them in the Ryder Cup team conversation, LIV players at the event will look to make a mark with their performances.
International Series excited to host 10 LIV Golf players at England event
As mentioned above, Lee Westwood isn’t the only high-profile player who will be in the International Series England event field. Patrick Reed, Graeme McDowell, Abraham Ancer, Anirban Lahiri, Eugenio Chacarra, Jason Kokrak, Richard Bland, Brendan Steele and Dean Burmester have all been confirmed to play at the event.
Opening up about the same, Head of the International Series, Rahul Singh, said that the circuit was excited to host big-name players like Westwood and Reed.
He said:
“Having the likes of Lee Westwood, Patrick Reed, Abraham Ancer and other LIV stars confirmed for International Series England is demonstrative of the growing strength of The International Series and the allure of the fabulous Lee Westwood Colt Course at Close House.”
The event will take place between 17 and 20 August, during a break in the LIV Golf schedule. Needless to say, it’ll be interesting to see how the rebel series players fare at the event.