International Series Begins 5th Season As Race For LIV Golf Card Gets Underway

This week marks the starting point in the Asian Tour's fifth International Series, the group of elevated tournaments which offer bigger prize money payouts than normal and a lucrative perk at the end of the season.

Starting with the International Series Japan, the Asian Tour's best - and some invited guests from LIV Golf and other key circuits - will battle it out across the world throughout the campaign to land the title of International Series champion.

Winning the International Series overall is certainly worthwhile, too, as the player or players who sit in the top positions once all is said and done will be offered a card in the LIV Golf League for 2027 - providing they do not already hold status.

Similar to the PGA Tour's Signature Events, the International Series tournaments take place intermittently alongside regular Asian Tour competitions, so players have to carry their form from week to week if they want to come out on top.

All but one of the eight events offers out a $2 million prize purse, with the season-ending PIF Saudi International putting up a $5 million payout to those involved.

The first chance to pick up a huge winner's check and a healthy batch of International Series points arrives over the coming days.

The Asian Tour's season began in February with the Philippine Golf Championship and New Zealand Open, but the third tournament of the year is the International Series Japan.

Caledonian Golf Club in Shiba, Japan will host once again, with the beautifully intricate 7,116-yard par 71 course welcoming this tournament for the first time last year as Ripper GC player Lucas Herbert reigned supreme.

However, the Australian has opted not to defend his trophy this time and therefore a new champion is destined to be crowned.

Current LIV players Richard T. Lee, Yosuke Asaji and Miguel Tabuena are in the field this year, as are other familiar names such as Sangmoon Bae, Kieran Vincent, Jinichiro Kozuma and Chieh-po Lee.

Americans John Catlin, Andy Ogletree and Sihwan Kim also have experience with LIV and are hoping to ultimately find their way back onto the PIF-backed circuit come the end of the year via a victory this week.

But for Filipino Tabuena, success at his home International Series tournament last year helped propel him from steady Asian Tour pro to LIV golfer in the blink of an eye.

Highlighting how important the International Series can be to a pro golfer's career, Tabuena said: "I feel very fortunate. To earn a full-time spot and compete against the best players in the world is where you want to be.

"I earned that through The International Series, which was my priority last year, and it will always be important to me. I owe everything to The International Series, so I’ll support it as much as I can.”

INTERNATIONAL SERIES SCHEDULE 2026