Liv Golf Eyes National Opens as Power Struggle Expands
liv golf is exploring the staging of national opens as it pushes further into elite golf’s next battleground. The move would add pressure on the DP World Tour, which already carries a heavy schedule of similar events, while the Saudi-backed circuit keeps building an increasingly international calendar. The shift comes as the talent drain toward liv golf has stopped, or even reversed, and the focus turns to tournament markets rather than players.
National Opens Could Become The Next Flashpoint
The latest direction from LIV executives points toward competitions outside the United States, where the circuit says it has already found positive signs in Australia and South Africa. Mexico City, Hong Kong and Singapore are already on the 2026 schedule, but national opens would carry a different kind of weight because of their history and their place in global golf calendars.
That is why the idea matters beyond simple scheduling. If liv golf starts competing for national opens, the contest would move closer to the core business of the DP World Tour, which has long used those events to anchor its global reach in Europe, China, India and Australia. The challenge would not just be for tournament slots, but also for sponsors and the prestige that comes with them.
Tour Rivalry Is Now About Events, Not Just Players
The broader backdrop is a golf power struggle that has already changed shape. The Saudi Public Investment Fund has not signaled any retreat from its golf project, and the current phase appears less about poaching stars and more about expanding influence through the calendar itself. The likelihood of more competition for prime tournament markets is what has raised concern within the DP World Tour.
At the same time, talks between the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour remain active as they seek to extend a strategic alliance that includes a break clause at the end of 2027. Those discussions are described as positive, although the PGA Tour wants to lower the annual support it provides for DP World Tour prize funds. The level of threat from liv golf remains part of that equation.
What Officials And Players Are Facing Now
Jon Rahm is due to address the media at Augusta National on Tuesday morning ET, and his position on liv golf is expected to draw attention. He remains frozen out of Europe’s Ryder Cup scene after dropping an appeal tied to fines for playing on LIV, and he is still refusing to settle the penalties. That leaves him in bad standing with the DP World Tour.
The wider context is clear: liv golf has already altered the sport through scale, format, and player movement, and now it appears to be targeting the event structure itself. If national opens become part of its strategy, the pressure on established tours could intensify quickly, especially as 2026 scheduling decisions continue to take shape around liv golf.
