Japan Golfers Getting Path to DP World Tour, and Thus the PGA Tour
On Monday, the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour announced a joint partnership with the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO) that aims to give Japan golfers a direct pathway to the PGA Tour.
The top three players on the JGTO Order of Merit will gain membership to the DP World Tour. In June, the PGA Tour announced that the top 10 players on the DP World Tour's Race to Dubai Rankings will earn their PGA Tour cards. Therefore, the newly announced venture with the JGTO will give players a new opportunity to climb the ranks straight to the PGA Tour.
Players who do not earn DP World Tour exemptions will be given access to the DP World Tour qualifying school. Additionally, the ISPS Handa Championship in Omitama, Japan, will make its debut on the DP World Tour schedule.
"The Japan Golf Tour Organization has produced many incredibly talented players over the year, 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 onto play on the PGA Tour," said Keith Pelley, the CEO of the DP World Tour.
The move is part of a continued effort by the PGA Tour to develop a unified system of mobility among affiliated tours around the world. The Asian Tour, Asia's other primary professional men's golf circuit, is currently funded by LIV Golf, the Saudi-backed rival league to the PGA Tour.