The International Series kicks off this month
AL MUROOJ, SAUDI ARABIA - FEBRUARY 01: Cho Minn Thant, CEO and Commissioner of The Asian Tour and Greg Norman, CEO of Liv Golf Investments during a press confrence during a practice round prior to the PIF Saudi International at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club on February 01, 2022 in Al Murooj, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Luke Walker/WME IMG/WME IMG via Getty Images)
The International Series kicks off this month
A schedule has been announced for a new series that will be incorporated within the Asian Tour.
It will be known as The International Series which will total 10 tournaments with prizemoney ranging from $US1.5-2 million for each event.
The International Series is being funded by LIV Golf Investments and has been described as ``the most significant development in the history of Asian golf and a boom for the global game’’.
The series will kick-off in Thailand this month followed by visits to England, Korea, Vietnam, the Middle East, China, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
The announcement also saw the unveiling of the new brand, name, and logo for The International Series as well as an increase in the lucrative and unprecedented investment into the Asian Tour by LIV Golf to $US300 million from $US200 million, further solidifying LIV Golf Investments’ dedication to the growth of the global game.
As one of the biggest investments in the history of professional golf, The International Series will support playing opportunities and prize funds for the 10 events to be played every season over the next decade. It has been designed to drive greater engagement among fans, attract new commercial interest and to help stabilise professional golf following a sustained period of worldwide disruption and uncertainty.
“We are on the threshold of a new era for Asian golf,” said Cho Minn Thant, commissioner of the Asian Tour.
“The International Series is a new upper-tier of elite events, the likes of which the region has not seen before, that will mark the start of a phenomenal period of growth for the Asian Tour.
“It also signifies the furthering of our relationship with our new strategic partner LIV Golf Investments and its chief executive Greg Norman.
“Importantly, The International Series will add to the Asian Tour’s backbone of established events to comprise a 25-event season, expected to represent a record-breaking combined prize fund. Each of the 10 events will be broadcast live across the globe, with plans to attract an international field of headline talent.”
In October last year, Norman was announced as chief executive of LIV Golf Investments – a newly formed company whose purpose is to holistically improve the health of professional golf on a global scale to help unlock the sports’ untapped worldwide potential.
PIF, one of the world’s largest and most impactful sovereign wealth funds with a diverse international investment portfolio, is the majority shareholder in LIV Golf Investments.
Norman said: “We are setting the Asian Tour up as a powerful new force on the world golf stage.
“In my 40 years as a professional golfer, I’ve seen many parts of the world that have benefitted tremendously from golf and its growth and development.
“We now have the opportunity to do that in the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East with this incredible investment platform. Everyone benefits – professional players, amateurs, grass-roots golf, fans, economies, communities, stakeholders. I’ve never been so optimistic about the future of the sport.”
Black Mountain Golf Club in Hua Hin will host The International Series Thailand (March 3-6), boasting a prize purse of $US1.5 million, before London stages the next event at Centurion Club (June 9-12), offering a $US2 million purse.
The second half of the year will see stops in Korea, Vietnam, and Indonesia before heading to the Middle East and then culminating in China, Singapore, and Hong Kong.