From left to right: Ben Cowen, Chief Tournament and Operations Officer, DP World Tour; Christian Hardy, SVP, International, PGA TOUR; Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO, Asian Tour; Guy Kinnings, CEO, European Tour Group
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla., VIRGINIA WATER, England, and SINGAPORE - In a major move to unify professional golf and expand its international reach, the Asian Tour, DP World Tour, and PGA TOUR today announced a landmark strategic partnership set to run through at least 2029.
Effective immediately, the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour will leverage their existing Strategic Alliance to partner directly with the Asian Tour. The deal is designed to bolster commercial growth, expand playing opportunities, and create clear, formal pathways for top-performing Asian Tour golfers, with playing rights officially taking effect for the 2027 DP World Tour season.
A core pillar of the new arrangement will see the DP World Tour resume co-sanctioning select events with the Asian Tour starting in 2027. Specific details regarding the co-sanctioned tournaments will be released later this year alongside the DP World Tour’s upcoming schedule announcement.
The agreement revitalizes a deep-rooted historical relationship. The DP World Tour and Asian Tour previously maintained a Strategic Alliance from 2016 to 2021. That partnership built upon a legacy that began in February 1999, when the Malaysian Open became the first-ever tournament co-sanctioned by the two organizations. Over the decades, 108 events have been co-sanctioned between the tours, with an additional 21 tri-sanctioned alongside the Sunshine Tour or the PGA Tour of Australasia.
Leadership across all three organizations expressed enthusiasm for the unified vision:
Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO of the Asian Tour:
"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. Bringing the three Tours together under one partnership will increase the bandwidth of the professional game in Asia. Not only will co-sanctioning events see our members competing regularly on the global stage, but we are excited to welcome players from the other Tours to our pinnacle events, which showcase the strength and diversity of golf in Asia."
Ben Cowen, Chief Tournament and Operations Officer for the DP World Tour:
"We are delighted to rekindle our historic relationship with the Asian Tour and indeed strengthen it with the addition of the PGA TOUR to our new partnership. As Golf's Global Tour, we bring together the best international talent and the formal pathways established by this partnership will provide unprecedented international opportunities for Asian Tour members. Our agreement therefore represents not only a hugely positive step for golf in Asia, but also an exciting new era of collaboration for our game globally."
Christian Hardy, Senior Vice President of International at the PGA TOUR:
"This agreement is another example of what can be accomplished when organisations come together with a shared vision for the future of professional golf. Through our Strategic Alliance with the DP World Tour, we have worked to build a more connected global golf ecosystem, and we are excited to welcome the Asian Tour into that effort. Together, we are creating new opportunities for players, enhancing key National Opens around the world and continuing to evolve and strengthen pathways to identify and develop the next generation of elite talent."
By re-establishing this connection and adding the weight of the PGA TOUR, the three organizations aim to create a seamless pipeline for international talent and solidify a more unified structure for men's professional golf worldwide.
