Lee Westwood has responded to Rory McIlroy’s ‘guess work’ with the future of LIV Golf hanging in the balance.Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund [PIF] will pull it’s multibillion dollar backing of the tour at the end of the season.LIV Golf is on the bring of collapse after the PIF withdrew their backingGettyThe decision to do so leaves LIV Golf on life support, which has come as a shock to many.News of PIF’s withdrawal emerged in the aftermath of McIlroy’s successful Masters defence in Augusta last month and shocked many.The Northern Irishman, however, was not one of those surprised, stating: “It was always a possibility. I feel like a lot of us, including me, we almost knew before the [LIV] players did that this was going to happen.“I was hearing about this back in March, April time. I have friends over there.“One of my best friends, Ricky [McCormick], caddies for Tom McKibbin. I would talk to him all the time about what was going on.“I was saying to Ricky: ‘Have you guys heard any of this stuff?’ He was like: ‘No, everything seems OK over here.’“It just feels like the rug was pulled from under their feet and everyone was sort of blindsided by it. That’s the risk that those guys chose to take. There’s a lot of uncertainty in the air right now.”Westwood has since responded to McIlroy and others ‘guessing’ about the future of the tour.“Everybody was guessing back in March, weren’t they? Me and a few others were the closest to it and you couldn’t say for certain,” Westwood told talkSPORT’s Breakfast show.McIlroy believes a lot of players took a “risk” by leaving the PGA Tour for LIV GolfGetty“I think there’s a lot of things gone into that. I think the war in the Middle East has not helped.“We’re at a point where it is what it is now. You have to move on. There’s no point in going into speculation and you’ve got to look forward.”Westwood added that ‘everybody’s quite optimistic’ about the future of LIV Golf.“They’re still trying to pull it all together. I will say it came as a bit of a shock when the PIF pulled out. They seemed to be all in on it,” he continued.“But I will also say that, I sit in on most of these meetings at a high level with people like Scott O’Neill and Bryson DeChambeau in there and Jon Rahm.“I’ve never seen anybody so excited and energized, really. Looking to the future, they’re able to make decisions quickly now and obviously are going to have to with PIF pulling out.“Next season not being that far away, you have to plan for it now. I think everybody’s quite optimistic.”‘Never enjoyed the PGA Tour’Should LIV Golf collapse, however, Westwood admits he has contingencies in place, stating: “I’ve got plenty of options.“I’m 53 now, so there’s the senior tours and I’ve still got exemptions on the European tour if I chose to pay my fines.”And on whether he’d return to the PGA Tour, he said: “I’ve never really enjoyed playing the PGA tour that much.Westwood is “optimistic” that LIV Golf will be fineGetty“In 30 odd years of being a professional golfer, having won over there and finished high enough up to take my card, I’ve only taken my card for six of those years.“The two times I did win over there, I didn’t take my card then. So it’s not really playing on the PGA tour that’s ever driven me along. So that wouldn’t be an option that I would take.”Westwood is currently 21st on the LIV Golf standings having accumulated 105.65 points so far.Next up for the tour is a trip to the Far East and a three-day event in South Korea at the Asiad Country Club in Busan.