Amateur Champion ‘Very Open-Minded’ After Signing Up To LIV Golf-Backed Asian Tour Event

University of Arkansas player Jacob Skov Olesen made headlines in July when he became the first Dane to win The Amateur.

The following month, he was one of the few non-pros to make the cut in The Open at Royal Troon, before finishing T5 in August's Danish Golf Championship on the DP World Tour.

A successful career in the professional game appears to beckon for the 25-year-old, and he’s not ruling out a place in the LIV Golf League via the Asian Tour's International Series, which is being backed by the circuit and provides a pathway to it.

Olesen, who has yet to turn professional, will play in this week’s fifth International Series event of the Asian Tour season, the Black Mountain Championship in Thailand.

The player at the top of the rankings at the end of the season earns a LIV Golf contract, and Olesen admitted that’s something he has his eye on for next year, albeit while keeping his options open with other circuits.

In an Asian Tour press release, he said: “I am exempted into the International Series next year because of winning The Amateur Championship, so that’s a real opportunity for me, and I’m very open-minded.

"I’m also playing the DP World Q School, and the PGA Tour Q School as well. It is obviously really nice to have those options and opportunities next year.

“There's a lot of things where I don't know where I'm at and what my schedule can look like, but it's always good to have options.”

Olesen also revealed that other players are weighing up the possibility of competing in the International Series, helped by the attractive prize money payouts of $2m.

He added: “Definitely there are a lot of people that are looking this way, especially with the International Series now, with bigger prize pools."

Olesen believes the professional way the International Series is run is another factor in players wanting to compete on it.

"This [event] seems to be run extremely well, and that is what filters down," he said. "If you know that the tournaments are run well, with good courses and destinations, people will want to play.

“When you see this, and you hear from other guys that have done it, then it becomes an option. And I definitely think you're going to see a lot more guys from America and Europe coming over here to play.”

The International Series was launched in 2022, with LIV Golf pledging an investment of $300m over its first decade.