Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood pay European fines, but remain exiled from Ryder Cup
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SOUTHAMPTON, NY — Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood have paid million-dollar fines imposed by the DP World Tour, potentially clearing the way for them to rejoin their former circuit if LIV Golf folds after the Saudi Public Investment Fund pulled its backing. But settling the long-running dispute won’t get them any closer to becoming Ryder Cup captains.
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“We can confirm that Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood have both settled the fines imposed on them for breaching our Conflicting Tournament Regulation,” a DP World Tour spokesman confirmed to Golfweek.
Payment from both was received in recent days.
In March, Poulter revealed on social media that his outstanding fines totaled $1.1 million. Westwood’s total is believed to be similar.
Both men were subject to disciplinary action for breaking the DP World Tour’s Conflicting Tournament Regulation by playing events on LIV Golf. Those sanctions began with the first LIV tournament in June, 2022 and continued until Poulter and Westwood resigned their memberships of the DP World Tour in May, 2023. They were among a group of players who challenged the Tour’s right to assess the fines in a case before the Sport Resolutions body in Britain, which judged the penalties to be fair and proportionate.
LIV Golf covered all financial penalties imposed on its members by the DP World Tour through the end of 2025, but Poulter and Westwood refused to have the Saudis settle their fines, repeatedly insisting they were unfair and that they’d never pay.
“If I personally wouldn't pay the fines myself, why would I certainly put my business partner in that position?” Poulter said in December, 2024.
“I'm not paying them because I disagree with the way they've been handed out,” Westwood said earlier that year.
Settling the fines is the first step toward possibly rejoining the DP World Tour. They will become eligible to return as members in November, but will have to serve suspensions that were imposed along with the fines. The suspensions, which they have to begin serving when their memberships resume, are believed to total about 10 weeks.
But rejoining the European circuit will not make either man eligible to become future Ryder Cup captains, roles that were once seen as assured for the veterans of so many European victories. In 2017, five years before the emergence of LIV Golf, the DP World Tour introduced a rule that anyone who drops out of membership for any reason cannot be considered for either a captaincy or vice-captaincy at any future Ryder Cup.
“Under our current regulations, even if they were to rejoin as members, neither can serve as a Captain or Vice Captain in the Ryder Cup,” the DP World Tour spokesman confirmed.
Poulter, 50, won 12 times on the DP World Tour and played on seven Ryder Cup squads. Westwood, who is 53, won 25 times in Europe and represented Europe 11 times in the matches.
Eamon Lynch is a columnist for Golfweek and a frequent contributor to Golf Channel.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood pay European fines; still exiled from Ryder Cup