LIV Golf Becomes Golf’s Global Pillar as the Asian Tour Takes an International Jump With a Major New Partner

Even after two years of coming into existence, it is still debatable if LIV Golf is a breath of fresh air or a blot on golf’s sanctity. But on the face of it, the breakaway tour is trying to make the sport global, going into hitherto uncharted territories. In the process, it is also changing golf’s established world order.

LIV Golf is taking the Asian Tour to different places on the continent. Macau would be the new destination early next year. The International Series on the Asian Tour, in a new partnership with Wynn, announced the hosting of the event from March 14-17 at Macau Golf and Country Club.

An impending power-shift?

And LIV Golf’s attempted global outreach is going down well with the golfers who are part of the project. “Being a worldwide player is something that has always been important to me.  It is one of the reasons I joined LIV Golf and why I enjoy playing The International Series events on the Asian Tour,” Patrick Reed said at a press conference.

The 2018 Masters winner added: “It’s exciting to come to new places to grow the game and to make golf a truly global sport.” His words have been echoed by a golf fan media, Flushing It, that praised LIV Golf’s “commitment to the Asian Tour and golf in the region” on its X handle and also spoke about “a rapid shift in power” that has been happening “right now at the top of professional golf”.

For so long, golf has witnessed West’s hegemony. Time will tell if the Saudi-back tour can eventually end that, but it has already forced the PGA Tour to change. After LIV launched last year with an eight-event schedule followed by a 14-tournament league in 2023, the PGA Tour announced eight designated no-cut events in its 2024 schedule.

LIV Golf cares for Asia

“I’m not going to sit here and lie; I think the emergence of LIV or the emergence of a competitor to the PGA Tour has benefited everyone that plays elite professional golf,” Rory McIlroy, a four-time Major winner, told reporters back in March.

Read more: Amid Announcing a Mega Transfer Window, LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman Provides a Massive ‘Watering’ Teaser About a Major 2024 Change

The Asian Tour embraced LIV before its proposed merger with PGA Tour and DP World Tour. The partnership grew the Asian Tour coffers by a reported $200 million. It played 10 International Series events in 2023. The number will be up next year. It needs to be seen if LIV can do to golf what Kerry Packer did to cricket.

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