The PGA Tour and DP World Tour are reportedly working on plans for a nine-event global series that could transform the men’s professional golf schedule as early as 2028, according to James Corrigan at The Telegraph.
Corrigan, who was first to report, claims the series would run through the autumn and into the early part of the following year. The two organisations have identified potential venues in England, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, France, Spain, Italy, Australia, South Africa and the Far East.
These events would remain under the DP World Tour banner rather than becoming co-sanctioned tournaments as the Genesis Scottish Open is. The Scottish Open routinely draws leading American players due to it’s scheduling the week before the Open Championship, but Tour officials expect big-name stars to feature during what is currently regarded as the off-season on the PGA Tour. The attraction is expected to extend beyond pure prize money.
Neither tour has issued an official comment on the proposals. However, the desire for greater international collaboration was clear last month when the PGA Tour and DP World Tour announced a multi-year partnership with the Asian Tour. Christian Hardy, the PGA Tour’s senior vice-president of international, described that deal as an example of what can be achieved when organisations share a vision for the future of the game. Rory McIlroy welcomed the news as “positive” for golf worldwide.
The concept of a true global tour is not new. In 2020 the Premier Golf League proposed an 18-event world circuit on similar lines, only for both the PGA Tour and the then European Tour to reject it. That decision helped pave the way for the emergence of LIV Golf. With LIV’s early momentum having faded, it is now the established tours driving the push towards a more international calendar.
The timing of the global series aligns with a major structural overhaul already approved by the PGA Tour for 2028. The American circuit will split into a Championship Series and a Challenger Series, complete with promotion and relegation. The top-tier Championship Series is set to run from February to August, encompassing 23 to 24 events (including the majors, the Players Championship and the Ryder or Presidents Cups) with fields of around 120 players and purses in the region of $20 million. The Challenger Series will sit below it with at least 20 events, lower purses and larger fields designed to feed talent upwards.
The Championship Series concluding in August would leave a clear window in the autumn for international competition. While neither tour has formally linked the two initiatives, the schedules appear complementary. A shorter core domestic season in the United States would free the game’s biggest names to play overseas.
Ultimately the DP World Tour’s scheduling decisions will play a decisive role. The clearest indication of how seriously the project is being taken will come if the likes of Scottie Scheffler and other leading American players who rarely travel outside of the United States to compete make appearances once the PGA Tour Championship Series season wraps up in August.
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