PGA Tour and DP World Tour plot new Global Series plans in major threat to LIV Golf

The PGA Tour and DP World Tour are drawing up plans for a new global series that could radically alter the professional golf calendar – and pose a serious challenge to LIV Golf.

According to Telegraph Sport, the proposed series could begin as early as 2028, with a succession of DP World Tour events staged during the autumn and early months of the year.

The concept would give the PGA Tour’s leading players a reason to travel internationally outside their main competitive season, while giving the DP World Tour an unprecedented opportunity to showcase the biggest names in the game.

Telegraph Sport reports that as many as nine tournaments are being discussed, with England, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Continental Europe among the potential destinations. 

France, Spain and Italy could feature, while Australia, South Africa and venues in the Far East are also possibilities.

Crucially, these would remain DP World Tour tournaments rather than becoming co-sanctioned PGA Tour events.

That distinction could prove significant. 

The Genesis Scottish Open is currently the clearest example of the DP World Tour attracting a large contingent of American stars, but its position immediately before The Open gives players an obvious reason to make the trip.

The new series would have to offer a different incentive.

PGA Tour executives believe the combination of substantial prize money, additional world ranking points and the chance to expand their international profiles could persuade leading Americans to take part.

The timing may be even more important.

From 2028, the PGA Tour is going to operate with a two-tier structure. 

Its Championship Series, comprising the top 120 players, is planned to run from February until August, while the Challenger Series will continue beyond that period.

Players in the elite tier would not be permitted to drop into the Challenger Series, potentially leaving them with a lengthy gap in competitive golf between September and January.

For the game's leading players, that is unlikely to be attractive.

It raises the tantalising prospect of Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood appearing together in a new international series, with Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau potentially joining them depending on their future with a pending LIV Golf 2.0. 

The plans could therefore represent a particularly uncomfortable development for LIV Golf, which is attempting to secure the investment required to maintain its long-term future.

LIV has repeatedly emphasised its global reach, pointing to events in markets such as Australia and South Africa as evidence of its international appeal.

But a series backed by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, featuring many of the world's leading golfers, could provide a formidable alternative.

The two tours have also strengthened their relationship with the Asian Tour ahead of 2027, further expanding their potential international footprint.

Nothing has yet been finalised, but if the proposals being reported by Telegraph Sport become reality, the DP World Tour could become the centre of the game's most intriguing new stretch of the calendar – and LIV may find itself fighting for relevance.