Ben Cowen on golf's next two years: how the DP World Tour is opening Asian pathways

Interview analysis | 24 October 2026

Ben Cowen, DP World Tour's Chief Tournament and Operations Officer, expects the structure of professional golf to look different in two or three years. He made the assessment in an interview with South Korea's Maeil Business, conducted on 23 October during the Genesis Championship in Cheonan. This was a view of where the sport may be heading, not an announcement of a newly agreed overhaul.

Why Korea matters

Cowen sees the Genesis Championship as more than a tournament on a crowded calendar. Its co-sanctioning with the KPGA Tour gives Korean professionals a chance to compete on an international platform without first leaving their domestic circuit. He stressed the importance of the country's golf audience and the relationships needed to run a successful event.

The 2025 victory by Junghwan Lee is a useful example. Lee won the Genesis Championship on home soil and secured DP World Tour playing rights. Two distinct routes should not be confused: access awarded through high positions on the KPGA Genesis Points list, and the membership opportunity that can follow victory at a co-sanctioned tournament. Both can widen access, but they operate under different conditions.

An Asian partnership with concrete terms

The interview comes three months after the DP World Tour, PGA TOUR and Asian Tour formally announced a partnership on 21 July 2026. The agreement extends until at least 2029. From the 2027 season, leading Asian Tour players are to gain defined routes to DP World Tour playing opportunities, while selected events in Asia will again be co-sanctioned.

Cowen described the revived relationship as a way to create more options for Asian golfers. It does not mean that every Asian Tour member automatically receives a DP World Tour card. Actual eligibility, places and participating events must be established by the relevant regulations and calendar announcements.

The schedule is still taking shape

Cowen also discussed plans to expand the Asian Swing, including an intention to bring the Hero Indian Open into that grouping next year. He referred to potential changes around the 2028 scheduling environment. Readers should distinguish those plans and expectations from confirmed event dates or final eligibility rules; the interview did not supply a completed 2027 schedule.

What this could mean for players

For an ambitious golfer in Korea or elsewhere in Asia, the biggest benefit may be a more legible career route. A clear pathway can influence the tournaments an athlete enters, travel planning and the ranking targets they pursue. Co-sanctioned competitions can also combine audiences and sponsor interest, although more events do not automatically translate into greater individual earnings.

Cowen's most important point is therefore structural rather than sensational: closer links between tours could make regional success more useful internationally. The test will be practical. The 2027 calendar, precise allocation of places and the number of Asian players using the new opportunities will matter more than forecasts alone.

Sources: Original Maeil Business interview, 24 October 2026; DP World Tour's official tripartite partnership announcement; Genesis report on the 2025 champion.

Photo: illustrative golf-course image, not Ben Cowen and not represented as Woo Jeong Hills. BAE JUN / Pexels; commercial use permitted under the Pexels License.