Paul McGinley Predicts More PGA Tour-DP World Tour Collaboration

Paul McGinley during the Team Cup — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Paul McGinley says the DP World Tour was right to "hitch our wagon with the PGA Tour" and revealed that the two tours will have some "good stuff" coming up together over the next year.

Much has been made about the DP World Tour's position in the global golf ecosystem since the arrival of LIV Golf.

It has been labelled by some as a mere feeder league for the PGA Tour, with suggestions it may have been better off joining forces with LIV and benefiting from the Saudi PIF fortunes when they were available.

With the Saudis now pulling out of funding LIV, McGinley feels the decision to stick with the PGA Tour has been vindicated, and can see it paying dividends soon.

The PGA Tour and DP World Tour already co-sanction the Scottish Open, leading to a stellar field each year, while the Australian Open will go the same way from next year after a recent announcement.

And McGinley, the 2014 European Ryder Cup captain and staunch defender of the DP World Tour, feels the partnership with the PGA Tour will only serve up more benefits going forward.

Talking on the Golf Channel's US Open preview call with the press, McGinley hinted at more possible announcements the DP World Tour and PGA Tour will be making over the next 12 months.

"Obviously made a strategic decision to hitch our wagon with the PGA Tour," said McGinley. "I think that's proved to be the right decision over time, and it'll only get better going forward.

"I think we've got some good stuff coming with the PGA Tour in the coming year. So, Europe's in a great spot."

McGinley 'proud' DP World Tour survived LIV threat

Paul McGinley pictured at a press conference

While LIV Golf emerged as a big competitor for the PGA Tour when taking a bunch of its biggest stars away, direct competition in the USA did not really materialize.

With events in the Far East, Australia and South Africa, LIV was operating more in the space the DP World Tour occupied, and with obviously a far bigger budget.

But as LIV searches for new finance, McGinley says he's proud the the DP World Tour managed to survive that possible threat, and feels that European golf is in great shape moving forward.

"The European Tour is a great breeding ground," McGinley said. "We've got great golf courses, we've got big crowds, we've got sellout crowds at a number of tournaments.

"I'm very proud of where it is, and how they've come through the last two or three years, with the addition of LIV onto the golfing scene, and the ferocious money that they were able to throw at world golf, which was pretty much our market before. So, we've done really well."

Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website. Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.