The DP World Tour has been part of a strategic alliance with the PGA Tour since November 2020. Although the partnership aims to coordinate golf operations globally, the American circuit has gradually increased its influence over its European counterpart. Meanwhile, LIV Golf’s financial turmoil and the possibility of players leaving the league could open the door for an influx of talent into the DP World Tour.
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This has led Brendan Porath to suggest that the shifting landscape could give the European circuit greater leverage in its dealings with the PGA Tour.
“I think it would be gross misrepresentation to suggest they’re holding the PGA Tour over a barrel,” Porath said on the Shortgun Start. “But they’re making them work for it a little bit on the Strategic Alliance because of this little extra juice from LIV players and the asset they could bring to a fall series, a fall global event, all these things. They’re having a Ryder Cup next year.
“I think they’re in an interesting spot where they have a little bit of juice, and they flexed it again this morning with LIV.”
Despite the smidge of power, Porath later acknowledged that the PGA Tour is much bigger and holds a lot of leverage over the DP World Tour.
“The PGA Tour is a much more powerful broker negotiator here,” he added. “It has a ton of financial leverage. … But I think the DP World Tour is getting a little bit of an influx of talent, and they don’t have the sort of negotiating power to potentially jump in with the Saudis as they might have five, six, or four years ago.
“But I think … they just don’t want to get totally railroaded and owned and operated by the PGA Tour.”
The strategic alliance between the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour runs through 2035. As part of the agreement, the PGA Tour increased its stake in European Tour Productions from 15% to 40% while providing substantial financial support, including funding to help subsidize the DP World Tour’s prize funds.
The partnership also offers a pathway to the PGA Tour for the top 10 non-exempt players in the season-long DP World Tour Rankings. These players earn PGA Tour cards for the following season, opening the door to significantly higher prize money. However, reports have suggested that the PGA Tour could reconsider its agreement with the DP World Tour following the European circuit’s financial losses.
Meanwhile, Brendan Porath’s comments come amid a growing standoff between the DP World Tour and LIV Golf. Speaking to the BBC, DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings said, “Players need to make a choice,” as the European circuit prepares to close its doors to players who sign with LIV Golf for the 2027 season.
Although the DP World Tour previously granted conditional releases to several LIV players after they paid fines, the circuit appears unwilling to extend the same concessions again. Kinnings stressed that the tour has regulations in place to protect its interests and that players must abide by them. The deadline for players to declare their intentions is now just five weeks away.
Meanwhile, LIV Golf has yet to release all its players, as it seeks to retain talent for what it calls LIV 2.0. Players hoping to move to another circuit must first sever their contractual ties with LIV Golf. Jon Rahm has indicated that he will no longer compete on LIV Golf, while Sergio Garcia has received a release through bankruptcy court proceedings.
However, players who commit to the DP World Tour without first ending their contractual relationship with LIV Golf risk having their membership terminated. The situation leaves players facing a difficult decision as the two circuits’ competing interests threaten to narrow their options for the 2027 season.