The Shock That Hit Mexico
The golf world thought it knew the rules, but a private meeting at Royal Birkdale changed everything. While the PGA Tour and DP World Tour were finalizing a massive merger, the Asian Tour made a sudden, secret switch. This move left LIV Golf completely blindsided. The Asian Tour had spent years building a strong bond with the LIV-backed International Series. That bond snapped overnight. The decision came right after the PIF pulled its multi-billion dollar funding from LIV. The timing was brutal. Just days before, officials were still discussing how to grow the partnership for the next five years. Now, those plans are dead. The lucrative 10-event series is gone. Tournaments in China and India won’t happen this year. It was a total shock to the system.
How the Secret Deal Unfolded
According to Yahoo Sports, the turning point happened during the Open Championship. A private meeting there helped reshape the entire men’s professional golf landscape. A fresh pact between the DP World Tour and PGA Tour replaced the Asian Tour’s prior focus on LIV. The Public Investment Fund’s choice to pull funding triggered this significant shift. For the Asian Tour, the news arrived at a very difficult moment. Around the Masters, Cho Minn Thant, the chief executive, indicated that talks to prolong the partnership remained ongoing. LIV Golf was in Mexico during the week immediately following the Masters, he noted. We found out at that time, Cho said.
The uncertainty was huge. Asian Tour officials didn’t know if the withdrawal would kill the International Series or how fast the money would vanish. “It was a really abrupt thing that happened, and it was very surprising news because, up until the Masters, we were still talking to LIV Golf about the next few years of a partnership,” Cho explained. They were even talking about expanding the International Series. “We were talking about expanding the International Series, and it came as a total surprise,” he added. The consequences hit fast. The Asian Tour started 2026 expecting a 21-event schedule and another five years with LIV. Instead, the series was disbanded. Officials scrambled to save the rest of the calendar. Planned stops in China and India are cancelled. The Philippine Open stays in November but with less prize money. The Saudi International persists as a $5 million tournament.
Faced with this chaos, Cho started looking for other options immediately. Negotiations involving the DP World Tour and PGA Tour have been underway since April, he stated. As the news came out, I had to change course and start talks with the DP World Tour and PGA Tour. The speed of the shift was key. “Then at the Open Championship we were able to agree to broad terms,” Cho noted. This quick pivot saved the tour from total collapse. Without this deal, the Asian Tour would have been left without a major partner.
This deal shows just how fragile the new golf order really is. LIV Golf thought it had a lock on the Asian market. They were ready to expand the International Series. Instead, the Asian Tour walked away to join the unified tours. It proves that money alone doesn’t keep players or tours loyal when the bigger picture changes. The PIF pulling the plug on LIV was the catalyst. Once that funding stopped, the Asian Tour saw no reason to stick with a sinking ship. Stability with the DP World Tour and PGA Tour was their selection over other options.
The impact on the schedule is real. Fans in China and India won’t see top-level golf this year. The Philippine Open will happen, but the purse is smaller. The Saudi International remains a big event, but it stands alone now. This shift changes the flow of the season. Players on the Asian Tour will have to navigate a new path. They might play more events with the DP World Tour or try to qualify for the PGA Tour. The old plan of a steady International Series is gone. The game is moving fast, and the Asian Tour made the right call to survive. They didn’t wait to see what would happen. They acted when the news broke.
The focus now shifts to the Philippine Open. The Asian Tour schedule for November will keep this event. It is the first major test of the new reality. The tournament will run with reduced prize money as the tour adjusts to the loss of the International Series funding. The Saudi International continues as a standalone $5 million event, but it no longer has the backing of a larger Asian partnership. The Asian Tour will need to fill the gaps left by the cancelled China and India events. The DP World Tour and PGA Tour new agreement details must be finalized to proceed. The broad terms were agreed upon at the Open, but the specific schedule needs work.
