LIV golf's backer, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, is considering a “possible connection” with the DP World Tour Bloomberg. The talks between the European golf League and the sovereign wealth fund are taking place independently of the ongoing negotiations between PIF and PGA Tour Enterprises.
Should a deal be struck between the PIF and DP World Tour sites, LIV Golf members may receive access or membership to the latter tour. In return, the DP World Tour would receive financial compensation and an improvement to its balance sheet, which often causes problems in non-Ryder Cup years.
In 2022, the PGA Tour and DP World Tour expanded their original strategic alliance with the PGA Tour, providing operational support and additional investments to the DP World Tour. Through this partnership, which runs until 2036, the DP World Tour guarantees growth in annual prize money for the next five years.
Unlike the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour has not completely barred LIV golfers from participating in its tournaments. By fining players for participating in unsanctioned events, the DP World Tour allows those who have settled their debts to tee off on its circuit.
LIV Golf's Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton were among the league members who played regularly on the DP World Tour this fall to meet membership requirements ahead of the 2025 Ryder Cup. Hatton won the 2024 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, while others such as Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed also played on the DP World Tour.
It has now been 18 months since the PGA Tour and PIF announced a framework agreement to combine commercial operations under a new for-profit entity, since then called PGA Tour Enterprises. The deadline for the agreement expired on December 31, 2023, but negotiations continued.
Meanwhile, Strategic Sports Group – a consortium of US investors and sports team owners – invested $1.5 billion in PGA Tour Enterprises, with another $1.5 billion available. It is expected that PIF's investment in PGA Tour Enterprises would be of a similar size.
