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LIV Golf has lost the Asian Tour in another blow for the golf startup.
The Asian Tour officially partnered with both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour on Tuesday, the leagues announced, and joined their existing strategic alliance. While specifics are still being worked out, the new deal will provide a pathway for top Asian Tour members to earn access to the DP World Tour or HotelPlanner Tour during the 2027 season. The HotelPlanner Tour is the Korn Ferry Tour equivalent on the European circuit.
The PGA Tour and DP World Tour are working to renew their current partnership, though this new deal with the Asian Tour is undoubtedly seen as progress on that front. Currently, the top 10 players on the European tour earn PGA Tour cards each season.
"Through our Strategic Alliance with the DP World Tour, we have worked to build a more connected global golf ecosystem, and we are excited to welcome the Asian Tour into that effort," PGA Tour vice president Christian Hardy said in a statement. "Together, we are creating new opportunities for players, enhancing key National Opens around the world and continuing to evolve and strengthen pathways to identify and develop the next generation of elite talent."
LIV Golf caught by surprise
The DP World Tour had a previous deal with the Asian Tour, though it stopped co-sanctioning those events in 2022 when the Asian Tour teamed up with LIV Golf. Previously, LIV Golf had invested $300 million into the Asian Tour to help create more events under its umbrella and a pathway up to LIV Golf.
This new partnership between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Asian Tour caught LIV Golf and CEO Scott O'Neil "completely by surprise," according to Golf Digest's Joel Beall. The agreement was worked out between the three sides during the British Open last week at Royal Birkdale, but LIV Golf wasn't informed until Monday.
LIV Golf is already in a rough spot. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which had been bankrolling the venture, announced earlier this year that it will pull funding from the league after the 2026 campaign. The PIF had reportedly invested more than $5 billion into LIV Golf since 2022, though the league has struggled to gain traction and has lost multiple notable members back to the PGA Tour.
O'Neil and LIV Golf have been attempting to move forward with a "LIV 2.0" mindset and tweak the format to retain golfers and find investors. They are looking to raise up to $250 million to remain in business next season and are reportedly already running on loans for the rest of 2026. If they can't find new funding, the organization is reportedly laying the groundwork for a potential U.S. bankruptcy and has informed employees of potential mass layoffs.
There have also been multiple lawsuits filed against LIV Golf, including one that accused it of stealing the idea for the league.
Part of LIV Golf's pitch to investors included eight to 10 Asian Tour events each season. That, after Tuesday's news, is now gone.
There are four LIV Golf events left in the 2026 campaign, starting with this week's contest in the United Kingdom. If LIV Golf finds a path into 2027, something that looks increasingly difficult, it'll now have to do so without the Asian Tour by its side.
