The Asian Tour has signed a deal with the DP World Tour and PGA Tour that will see form a new strategic alliance that will create pathways for players to compete on the DPWT through co-sanctioned events and end-of-season promotions.
The Asian Tour had been part of LIV’s ecosystem since before its first event in 2022, with the Saudi PIF funding both LIV and the Asian Tour-sanctioned International Series events. The Asian Tour served as an established ally for the controversial startup, receiving funding plus the appearance of high-profile LIV stars at some of its events in return. But with the PIF ending its funding of LIV at the end of the current season and gone LIV’s future up in the air, the Asian Tour has chosen to align with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
A joint statement issued by the three tours on Tuesday read: “The Asian Tour, DP World Tour and PGA Tour today announced a partnership through until at least 2029, marking a new chapter for global golf. Effective immediately, the PGA Tour and DP World Tour – through their own existing Strategic Alliance – will partner with the Asian Tour to help provide commercial and playing opportunities, also establishing pathways for the leading Asian Tour members, with playing rights starting from the 2027 DP World Tour season.
“The DP World Tour will also return to co-sanctioning select tournaments with the Asian Tour from 2027. Full details of those events will be outlined when the DP World Tour’s schedule for next season is announced later this year. The DP World Tour and Asian Tour previously had a Strategic Alliance from 2016 to 2021. That formalised a relationship which originally began in February 1999 when the Malaysian Open became the first tournament to be co-sanctioned by the two tours.”
“TIME IS RIGHT TO COLLABORATE”
Speaking about the announcement, Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner and CEO of the Asian Tour, commented: “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. 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.”
Ben Cowen, Chief Tournament and Operations Officer for the DP World Tour, added: “We are delighted to rekindle our historic relationship with the Asian Tour and indeed strengthen it with the addition of the PGA Tour to our new partnership. As golf’s global tour, we bring together the best international talent and the formal pathways established by this partnership will provide unprecedented international opportunities for Asian Tour members. Our agreement therefore represents not only a hugely positive step for golf in Asia, but also an exciting new era of collaboration for our game globally.”
Christian Hardy, Senior Vice President of International at the PGA Tour, said: “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.”
PATHWAYS OPENING & CLOSING
The Asian Tour’s partnership with the LIV Golf saw those who finished first and second in the International Series Rankings earn spots on the LIV Golf League the following season, with that pathway being in place and altered since 2022. However, under the terms of the Asian Tour’s new alignment with the DPWT that pathway looks likely to be closed, although it might be irrelevant should the LIV Golf League fail to find sponsors to plug the $300 million funding gap following the Saudi PIF’s withdrawal.
Speaking at LIV Golf UK, which is being held at JCB Golf & Country Club this week, LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil told team captains that talks were still on-going with potential sponsors for the league for 2027 and that a deadline for any negotiations has been set for September.
It has been widely reported that LIV Golf has issued its staff with advance notice of potential redundancies should funding not be found. The league has filed Worker Adjustment notices in the United States. Such notices are a legal requirement, not a definitive announcement of job cuts, but it signals that a workforce reduction is possible. Employment law in the US requires businesses with more than 100 staff to provide 60 days’ advance notice of potential mass layoffs. The UK has similar legal redundancy notification requirements.
WESTWOOD & POULTER PAY UP
In another sign that the LIV Golf League’s days might be numbered, both Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter, co-captains of LIV Golf’s Majesticks GC team, have both paid their outstanding non-compete fines to the DP World Tour in recent days, thus freeing themselves up to play in future DP World Tour events under their Category 11 ‘legends’ status.
Both players resigned their DP World Tour memberships in 2023 to avoid incurring more financial penalties, but have now settled their debts, which were reported to be around £1 million each.
When questioned about the timing of the fines being repaid, Poulter said: “The fines were always going to be paid at some point, and that was down to myself and Lee to choose when that time was right. The DP World Tour and LIV Golf and the acceptance of it all, is all in a very different position today than what it was four years ago when we were being fined the way we were. There are no fines in place today for guys that are playing on LIV Golf, and that’s a massive change.
Westwood said: “When the current financial backers of the tour are talking about pulling out and we’re being indemnified, it just makes sense to get them paid straight away before they do pull out. That’s really why we had them paid when we did. But I still don’t agree with the fines because we are being completely treated differently to the people playing on this tour. I think the fines were excessive, as well, when you consider what other people did and how much they got fined historically.”
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