SerpApi.Org
LIV Golf has suffered a big blow in its fight for survival after the PGA Tour and DP World Tour announced a partnership with the Asian Tour.
The Asian Tour has been a pivotal partner to LIV since the breakaway league launched in 2022, providing a second-tier circuit and giving LIV members banned from other tours more playing opportunities.
The Asian circuit was also set to be a big part of LIV's future. LIV is scrambling for new investors after the withdrawal of financial support from Saudi Arabia, and bosses hoped to forge closer ties with the Asian Tour.
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In its pitches to prospective investors, LIV had said it intended to stage a core series of events, which would be supplemented by events on the Asian Tour and its International Series to give players a comprehensive schedule.
The Asian circuit was also pivotal to LIV's successful bid for Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) accreditation. The partnership, which saw the leading two players in the 2025 International Series earning LIV tour cards, allayed the OWGR's concerns that LIV was a closed shop. With ties to the Asian Tour now cut, it creates new doubt over LIV's eligibility for world ranking points.
LIV Golf returns to action this week at JCB Golf & Country Club in Uttoxeter, England, after a seven-week hiatus caused by the cancellation of its event in Louisiana.
The league declined to comment when approached by Mirror Sports U.S.
“We feel the time is now right to collaborate with the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR to enhance the Asian Tour for our members, fans and partners," Cho Minn Thant, commissioner & CEO of the Asian Tour, said in a press release.
"Bringing the three Tours together under one partnership will increase the bandwidth of the professional game in Asia. Not only will co-sanctioning events see our members competing regularly on the global stage, but we are excited to welcome players from the other Tours to our pinnacle events, which showcase the strength and diversity of golf in Asia.”
In an interview with Golf Digest, Minn Thant added that now is the right time to move on from LIV amid the deep uncertainty surrounding the breakaway league.
He said: “I think the timing is just right now, it's all about timing. We'd kept in touch [with the DP World Tour] over all these years. Six years ago, it was right for us to do a partnership with LIV Golf, but given the circumstances now, we've had to look at other options."
Christian Hardy, Senior Vice President of International at the PGA Tour, added: “This agreement is another example of what can be accomplished when organizations come together with a shared vision for the future of professional golf.
“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.
"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.”
