LIV Golf suffers another setback with the announcement of a global alliance between three of the leading men's tours.

LIV Golf has suffered another blow with the announcement of a global alliance between the leading men's professional tours. Masters champion Rory McIlroy has welcomed the partnership that the PGA Tour and DP World Tour have struck with the Asian Tour, which had been linked with the LIV circuit. LIV, whose next event starts at the JCB Club in Staffordshire on Thursday, is already reeling from the withdrawal of Saudi Arabian financial backing after the Kingdom ploughed in more than £3.75bn to bankroll its first three years. The PGA Tour and DP World Tour's new partnership with the Asian Tour was confirmed in meetings at last week's Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. "Positive news," McIlroy said in a social media post. "Great to see the respective tours working together for the good of international golf." The PGA and DP World Tours already had a strategic alliance which will now be extended until at least 2029. That deal, which could have expired next year, had been under discussion in recent months. The Asian Tour partnered with LIV in 2021 prior to the launch of the breakaway league the following year. It offered a promotion and relegation pathway to and from LIV's series of $30m tournaments. Under the old deal, the top two from the Asian Tour's order of merit gained promotion to LIV for its 2026 season.