LIV cash crunch hits Asian Tour as Korea Open prize money cut

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Golf’s Asian Tour connected Wednesday (May 20, 2026) said it had axed a planned summation successful prize wealth for this week’s Korea Open, conscionable weeks aft announcing a $500,000 currency boost from LIV Golf.

The LIV injection would person pushed the full prize money from astir $1 cardinal (KRW 1.4billion) to a grounds $1.5 cardinal for the historical tourney archetypal played successful 1958.

However, connected Wednesday (May 20, 2026), a connection to AFP said: “The Asian Tour tin corroborate the prize wealth for the Kolon Korea Open has been revised to the archetypal magnitude of KRW 1.4 billion, the aforesaid arsenic past year.

“We communicated this revision to our members pursuing an update from the rubric sponsor Kolon.

“The champion volition person a bonus of KRW 200 cardinal arsenic antecedently announced.”

In April, the Asian Tour announced the Korea Open prize money boost to large fanfare.

“With $500,000 successful prize wealth enactment from LIV Golf, with whom we person been expanding our partnership, the winner’s stock volition beryllium 700 cardinal won and the full purse 2 cardinal won, making this the largest tourney successful its history,” tourney organisers trumpeted connected April 24.

However, conscionable a week aboriginal Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) announced it would cease bankrolling LIV aft the 2026 play aft plunging a reported $5 cardinal dollars into the breakaway circuit since it was founded successful 2021.

It has near the rebel circuit facing an uncertain aboriginal arsenic it scrambles to find caller investors and sponsors.

A fig of LIV players volition beryllium successful the tract for the Korea Open erstwhile it begins successful Chuncheon connected Thursday, including two-time US Masters Champion Bubba Watson, Mexico’s Abraham Ancer and Korean-born New Zealander Danny Lee.

LIV has besides been bankrolling the Asian Tour’s International Series, leaving successful uncertainty the aboriginal of the mini-circuit elevated events which each connection $2 cardinal successful prize wealth and a pathway to the LIV tour.

The adjacent International Series tourney is scheduled to instrumentality spot successful Morocco from June 11-14.

Published - May 21, 2026 04:46 americium IST

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