LIV Golf loses Asian Tour alliance as Saudi funding ends
The breakaway LIV Golf league lost its $300m Asian Tour partnership on Tuesday as it scrambles to replace Saudi state funding before the season ends, signalling a broader consolidation in professional golf.
The Asian Tour announced a new partnership with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour on Tuesday. The agreement effectively ends its lucrative four-year alliance with LIV Golf.
LIV had invested $300m in the Asian Tour to create the International Series, offering purses of up to $2m. The pivot comes as LIV faces an imminent financial cliff after the Saudi Public Investment Fund confirmed in April that its funding will stop at the end of this season.
For European golf, the move signals a decisive shift in the sport's commercial power structure. The PGA Tour and DP World Tour are negotiating the renewal of their own alliance, a critical arrangement that currently guarantees 10 top European players PGA Tour cards. Securing the Asian Tour alongside the PGA Tour's involvement in the Australian Open suggests the traditional circuits are successfully building a unified global front just as LIV's financial foundation crumbles.
As LIV scrambles to secure alternative private investment, its top players are remaining silent. Jon Rahm, a two-time major winner who joined LIV in 2024, declined to say whether he would remain with the league in 2027. "We know a lot of what's going on," Rahm said at a press conference in Staffordshire ahead of LIV's UK event, adding "Not that I can share with you guys right now."
LIV has just four events remaining in its 2026 season, including this week's tournament at the JCB Golf and Country Club. Finding private capital to replace Saudi state backing is now an urgent priority for the league. However, the loss of the Asian Tour removes a key piece of LIV's international leverage at a vulnerable time.
Cho Minn Thant, commissioner and CEO of the Asian Tour, framed the split as a move toward stability. "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," he said.
