Bill Streicher-Imagn ImagesThe Shock That Hit MexicoThe golf world thought it knew the rules, but a private meeting at Royal Birkdale changed everything. While the PGA Tour and DP World Tour were finalizing a massive merger, the Asian Tour made a sudden, secret switch. This move left LIV Golf completely blindsided. The Asian Tour had spent years building a strong bond with the LIV-backed International Series. That bond snapped overnight. The decision came right after the PIF pulled its multi-billion dollar funding from LIV. The timing was brutal. Just days before, officials were still discussing how to grow the partnership for the next five years. Now, those plans are dead. The lucrative 10-event series is gone. Tournaments in China and India won’t happen this year. It was a total shock to the system.How the Secret Deal UnfoldedAccording to Yahoo Sports, the turning point happened during the Open Championship. A private meeting there helped reshape the entire men’s professional golf landscape. A fresh pact between the DP World Tour and PGA Tour replaced the Asian Tour’s prior focus on LIV. The Public Investment Fund’s choice to pull funding triggered this significant shift. For the Asian Tour, the news arrived at a very difficult moment. Around the Masters, Cho Minn Thant, the chief executive, indicated that talks to prolong the partnership remained ongoing. LIV Golf was in Mexico during the week immediately following the Masters, he noted. We found out at that time, Cho said.The uncertainty was huge. Asian Tour officials didn’t know if the withdrawal would kill the International Series or how fast the money would vanish. “It was a really abrupt thing that happened, and it was very surprising news because, up until the Masters, we were still talking to LIV Golf about the next few years of a partnership,” Cho explained. They were even talking about expanding the International Series. “We were talking about expanding the International Series, and it came as a total surprise,” he added. The consequences hit fast. The Asian Tour started 2026 expecting a 21-event schedule and another five years with LIV. Instead, the series was disbanded. Officials scrambled to save the rest of the calendar. Planned stops in China and India are cancelled. The Philippine Open stays in November but with less prize money. The Saudi International persists as a $5 million tournament.Faced with this chaos, Cho started looking for other options immediately. Negotiations involving the DP World Tour and PGA Tour have been underway since April, he stated. As the news came out, I had to change course and start talks with the DP World Tour and PGA Tour. The speed of the shift was key. “Then at the Open Championship we were able to agree to broad terms,” Cho noted. This quick pivot saved the tour from total collapse. Without this deal, the Asian Tour would have been left without a major partner.This deal shows just how fragile the new golf order really is. LI
