DP World Tour strike more alliances to fight off LIV Golf threat

The DP World Tour and PGA Tour have struck up two more alliances with national tours in their ever-growing pursuit to fight off the threat of LIV Golf.

Having confirmed the extension of their “strategic alliance” in June, and already having signed a deal to ally with the Japan Golf Tour earlier this month, both tours have now announced partnerships with the TATA Steel Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) and Korea Professional Golfers’ Association (KPGA).

The latter sees a continuation of an existing agreement between the Korean PGA and DP World Tour, with the new deal seeing the KPGA’s Genesis Point Award Winner – the order of merit leader – earning a card onto the European circuit the following season. The subsequent top finishers will then earn entry into various stages of DP World Tour Qualifying School.

On top of this, and beginning in the 2023, the DP World Tour will launch a brand new tournament in Korea co-sanctioned with the KPGA – the Korean Championship. The event will offer a purse of $2 million and will be staged at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon.

In a similar deal, the leading player in the PGTI Rankings will earn DP World Tour membership beginning in 2023. The next highest-ranked player in the PGTI Rankings will then earn a spot in the Final Stage of DP World Tour Qualifying School, with a further three players earning spots in the Second Stage.

“Our global pathway system enables players from different international tours to compete on the DP World Tour, and we are delighted to extend that opportunity to players from the TATA Steel Professional Golf Tour of India,” said Keith Pelley, CEO of the DP World Tour.

“We have already seen some terrific players from India establish themselves and win on our Tour, and this partnership will give many more the chance to follow in their footsteps, as well as potentially go on to play on the PGA Tour too.”

Further down the ladder, PGTI players will have an opportunity to play in two Challenge Tour events staged in India in Spring 2023. A total of 60 spots are on offer, with both tournaments taking place at Karnataka Golf Association in Bangalore.

The trio of partnerships mark the latest efforts by the DP World Tour and PGA Tour to prevent LIV Golf from garnering similar agreements, with the Saudi-backed series having already formed arrangements with the Asian Tour and MENA Tour.