It’s not just the number of holes that is changing when the fifth LIV Golf campaign gets underway…
LIV Golf has made yet another announcement regarding its format.
Ahead of its fifth season, the league had already announced, to mixed reviews, that it would be moving to 72-hole tournaments.
Now, with the golf world still reeling from Brooks Koepka’s decision to leave LIV Golf, it has revealed its field size at each event will increase from 54 to 57, with the 13 teams now being joined by five wildcards rather than the previous two.
Three of these will come from the upcoming LIV Golf Promotions event, while the others will be Scott Vincent and Yosuke Asaji, who earned their spots by finishing as the top two in the Asian Tour’s season-long Order of Merit. This is also confirmation that they will play as wildcards rather than joining existing teams.
In a statement announcing the decision, LIV’s CEO Scott O’Neil said the league is “committed to moving the sport forward by expanding opportunity and access.
He added: “We are opening pathways – creating more chances for top talent to compete in the world’s golf league. Adding another qualifying spot strengthens our field and adds excitement to a season built on opportunity, competition, and growth.”
The LIV Golf Promotions event, which features a number of household names including a Ryder Cup player and DP World Tour favorite, will take place at Black Diamond Ranch, Florida, in January, with the 2026 LIV Golf season getting underway in February.
Meanwhile, the Official World Golf Ranking released a statement saying “progress has been made” as it continues to discuss LIV’s application for inclusion, but fails to go into any further detail.
OWGR chairman Trevor Immelman said: “Since the end of June, the governing board has endeavored to thoroughly evaluate the LIV Golf application. We remain committed to the OWGR’s mission, which requires honoring the meritocracy woven into the professional game. As such, discussions have been regular and remain ongoing.
“To be clear, progress has been made, but there is no decision to share at this time. We will continue to work closely with LIV Golf as it continues to evolve to ensure its application is handled with fairness, integrity and consistency.”
