Japan Golf Tour to ‘work alongside’ DP World and PGA Tours amid battle with LIV Golf

In a recent development, the Japan Golf Tour has decided to make alliances with PGA Tours and the DP World to create a stronger force for the PGA's battle against LIV Golf. This alliance will help in making a passage for its top three finishers by gaining DP World Tour cards.

From the DP World Tour entry, Japan Golf Tour top finishers can get one of the 10 PGA Tour cards given to the top finishers for the Race to Dubai rankings.

Earlier, there were anticipations that the Japan Golf Tour might be planning to go the LIV Golf way as four Japanese players made the team Torque GC. There was strong talk of Hideki Matsuyama joining LIV. Matsuyama is the first and only male Japanese Major winner.

However, when the teams were announced for LIV's Boston event, the Japanese players from Team Torque (Yuki Inamori, Ryosuke Kinoshita, Jinichiro Kozuma, and Hideto Tanihara) were not present there. It later came in the news that Matsuyama had decided to stay with the PGA Tour.

As per reports, the Japanese star was offered a whopping $400 million to join LIV, which he turned down. The 2021 Masters champion didn't want money at the expense of his legacy. Names like Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson have already joined LIV Golf.

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A lot to lose if Japanese players join LIV Golf

Matsuyama was reportedly offered $400 million by LIV Golf, which he turned down

As per Sports Illustrated, just like Johnson and Mickelson, the PGA Tour warned the Japan Golf Tour golfers, too, stating that they will be banned from the Zozo Championship and Korn Ferry Tour school if they show up in LIV events.

Now, as this new agreement has come into force, it will be the Japanese players' sole responsibility if they still want to appear in LIV Golf events. This might result in their exclusion from all three Japan Golf, DP World, and PGA Tour memberships.

"The Japan Golf Tour Organization has produced many incredibly talented players over the years, and we are delighted to establish this formal pathway as part of golf’s meritocratic system, defining clear routes for players from the other international tours to earn status on the DP World Tour and potentially go on to play on the PGA Tour," Chief Executive of the DP World Tour Keith Pelley said.

"There are players from 34 different countries exempt on the DP World Tour in 2023 and, alongside our first tournament in Japan next April, today’s announcement further underlines our position as golf's global tour," Pelly stated further.

There will be other aspects too such as business, strategic development, and economic growth of the sports in which Japan Golf tour will be working with the European DP World Tour and PGA Tours. As for now, The ISPS Handa Championship in Japan is part of the DP World Tour schedule.

"Japan has a long, storied history of producing world-class golf talent that deserves the opportunity to compete on the game’s highest stage, and today’s announcement is recognition of that.

"Over the past 30 years, 25 players have claimed at least one victory on both the PGA Tour and Japan Golf Tour, including current Japan Golf Tour Chairman Isao Aoki, who in 1983 became the first Japanese-born player to win on the PGA Tour when he holed out for eagle on the 72nd hole to win the Sony Open in Hawaii.

"His legacy continues today with eight-time JGTO winner Hideki Matsuyama and will now endure for years to come under this new pathway,” said Jay Monahan, Commissioner of the PGA Tour.