LIV Golf is exploring national opens, creating fresh pressure on the DP World Tour while Jon Rahm’s unresolved fines add more tension before the Masters.
LIV Golf may be opening a new front in its battle with the sport’s traditional power structure, and this time the fight isn’t only about players.
According to multiple reports, the Saudi-backed circuit is exploring the idea of staging national open-style events, a move that could put new pressure on the DP World Tour, which already relies heavily on those tournaments across Europe and other international markets.
That makes this more than a scheduling story. The player tug-of-war that defined LIV’s early years has slowed, but tournament territory may now become the next battleground.
LIV has found encouraging results in international stops, especially outside the United States, and its 2026 schedule already includes events in places such as Mexico City, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Even so, those tournaments don’t carry the same history or prestige as a national open, which is why any push into that space would get immediate attention.
For the DP World Tour, the timing is especially notable.
It remains in talks with the PGA Tour about extending its strategic alliance, and the scale of LIV’s threat is believed to be a factor in those discussions.
Reports indicate the conversations have been constructive, though the PGA Tour is also looking at lowering the financial support it provides toward DP World Tour prize funds.
If LIV starts making a serious run at marquee international events, that could strengthen the case for even closer cooperation between the existing tours.
The issue also lands just as Jon Rahm heads into Masters week under a cloud in Europe.
Rahm dropped his appeal over DP World Tour sanctions tied to LIV participation, but he still hasn’t paid the fines, leaving his Ryder Cup status and broader standing with the tour in limbo.
That storyline is expected to follow him into Augusta, where his comments could easily become one of the week’s biggest talking points.
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