The Asian Tour has canceled its qualifying school as it prepares for a “rebuilding year” in 2027.
The announcement was made Monday, with the tour explaining the “difficult decision” came after the cessation of its International Series, which, like LIV Golf, had been funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. That “materially impacted” the tour’s schedule, limiting playing opportunities for members, especially last year’s graduates from both Q-School and the Asian Development Tour.
While the statement didn’t explicitly say, it appears that status will carry over for the 2027 season.
The Asian Tour entered its partnership with LIV Golf in 2021, and a year later, the two parties launched the 10-event International Series, which offered purses of at least $2 million and a pathway onto LIV Golf for top performers.
Asian Tour CEO Cho Minn Thant said recently that his organization was discussing a five-year extension with LIV earlier this year when PIF announced it was pulling its funding, including a planned $300 million investment in the Asian Tour, back in April.
Thant told Flushing It, “The PIF’s change in golf investment strategy caught everyone by surprise,” and his tour decided to pivot this summer, partnering instead with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. Next year, the Asian Tour will co-sanction five DPWT events, including the Hong Kong Open and Singapore Open, with upwards of 60 Asian Tour members expected to compete. Also, the money winner on the Asian Tour will now earn a DPWT card while any winner of one of those co-sanctioned tournaments can secure DPWT status that way.
This year’s Asian Tour schedule was supposed to include 21 tournaments, including eight as part of the International Series. However, fall stops in India and China were scrapped, while the Hong Kong Open and Philippine Open had their purses significantly reduced. The PIF Saudi International remains the season finale, set for Nov. 18-21.
“It is a determination not taken lightly given the qualifying school is such a critical part of our player pathways and the Tour apologizes for any inconvenience caused,” the tour’s statement continued. “2027 will be a rebuilding year for the Asian Tour where we will focus on the stability and growth of both the Asian Tour and ADT schedules. … The qualifying school next year will provide very significant opportunities for graduates for the 2028 season.”
The tour added that it plans to refund any players who had already signed up for Q-School.