Saudi investment shows no sign of reducing LIV’s scale
Plan likely to compete with DP World Tour
Tournaments as opposed to players could become the next key domain in elite golf’s power struggle, with the Saudi Arabian-backed LIV circuit exploring the staging of national opens. Any such approach is likely to cause anxiety within the corridors of power at the DP World, formerly European, Tour given the number of such events already on its schedule.
While the talent drain of elite players from traditional tours towards LIV has stopped, or reversed, the concept of increased competition for prime tournament markets is an intriguing one.
LIV executives have rightly reflected positively on competitions staged outside the US, primarily in Australia and South Africa. They are now advocating an increasingly international schedule. Mexico City, Hong Kong and Singapore also feature in LIV’s 2026 tournament list. None of these competitions, though, hold the historic pull of a national open. The DP World Tour has enjoyed success with these events, not merely in Europe but also China, India and Australia.
