LIV Golf is making a fundamental change to its format: The start-up league will play tournaments over 72 holes rather than 54, beginning in the 2026 season, it announced Tuesday.
“The most successful leagues around the world — IPL, EPL, NBA, MLB, NFL — continue to innovate and evolve their product, and as an emerging league, we are no different,” LIV CEO Scott O’Neil said in a news release. “LIV Golf will always have an eye towards progress that acts in the best interest of LIV Golf and in the best interest of the sport.”
LIV was founded on the principle of creating a faster, more digestible golf product, which included shotgun starts and shorter tournaments. Three rounds of stroke play were played with a concurrent team competition. The league’s name, LIV, represents the Roman numeral “54,” in reference to its three-day events.
However, since it debuted in 2022, LIV has failed to be recognized by the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) system, leading to its star players plummeting in the standings. Points are not up for grabs at any of the events. Jon Rahm, who is ranked No. 3 on the independent golf rankings platform DataGolf, is ranked outside the top 70 in the world according to OWGR. Additionally, players only accumulate Ryder Cup points in OWGR-sanctioned tournaments, which include all the major tours in the world outside of LIV.
In July, LIV reapplied to be recognized by the OWGR after its first application was rejected by the committee two years ago. LIV’s latest format change is a strong indicator that steps are being made to fit the competitive structure to the OWGR’s standards.
However, the four-day tournaments will not solve all of LIV’s issues on that front. The committee has previously taken issue with its qualifying system. When LIV launched, it was effectively a closed shop, with players earning individual contracts worth tens of millions. Adequate pathways did not exist for players to work their way into the league by merit, so LIV launched a promotions event. Two golfers can earn spots on the tour through that tournament in 2025, in addition to the two top finishers on The International Series — a set of events operated by the Asian Tour. It remains to be seen whether these changes, plus the continued existence of LIV’s team format, will be accepted by the OWGR.
“By moving to 72 holes, LIV Golf is taking a proactive step to align with the historic format recognized globally. This is a fantastic evolution of the LIV Golf product, showing how our League listens and adapts to create the best possible experience,” said Bryson DeChambeau, two-time U.S. Open champion and LIV’s strongest player asset.
LIV’s first tournament in 2026 will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from Feb. 4-7.
