How does LIV Golf Q School work in 2026?

LIV announced the Q-school for the 2026 season would take place from January 8-11 at Black Diamond Ranch in Lecanto, Florida.

Previously, the event had been held in December in the Middle East, but LIV instead decided to host it on the East Coast of the USA.

In the first edition of Q-school at the end of 2023, Kalle Samooja, Kieran Vincent and Jinichiro Kozuma all cemented their place in LIV for that year.

Last year, Max Lee was victorious and earned his status for the 2025 season. Lee spent the year as one of two wildcards, meaning he was not assigned to a LIV franchise team but still played in each event.  

In January, the top two players this time around will secure a full exemption for LIV through 2026, with an additional prize of $200,000 for the winner of the competition.

The format is not likely to be altered and will therefore be a 72-hole stroke play tournament, although there are cuts and score resets after the first two rounds. But it will be interesting to see who signs up to take part, with the deadline for registration being the 15^th December.

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LIV Golf Promotions 2025 Format

The PIF-funded circuit has attracted a plethora of big names within the professional game, but this has dried up as of late, with no notable golfers making the switch from the PGA Tour within the last year.

Arguably, their biggest name, Jon Rahm, shocked the golfing sphere by joining LIV in 2024.

But now, LIV seems resorted to finding lesser-known, up-and-coming names to bolster their roster, whilst the PGA Tour members appear content with their affiliations.

The decision to move Q-school from Riyadh, where it was held last year, to Florida, changes the implications for golfers who may be intending to take part.

Because it is being held in America, anyone from the PGA Tour, Korn Ferry Tour or Champions Tour will be sanctioned should they opt to compete in the event because of the media rights regulations in the country.

However, this does not apply to anyone from Europe and Asia, who also do not have to deal with a schedule clash, as the competition is so early in the calendar year. This may dictate which golfers may choose to take part in Q-school.

With the top two finishers earning their exemption through LIV’s Promotions event, it means that four players in total will be added to LIV’s repertoire for 2026. This is because it was previously revealed that the top two players in the International Series will also earn a spot, with the Grand Finale in Saudi Arabia at the end of November.

The 2026 LIV season gets underway at Riyadh Golf Club in February, but who will qualify to round off the field ahead of a new look campaign for the breakaway circuit?

LIV Golf Promotions Eligibility Criteria

Category A: Qualifiers four Round 1

• 2025 Walker Cup and 2025 Palmer Cup players  

1. Runner-up of the following last played amateur events in 2025:  

• US Amateur Championship  
• The Amateur Championship  
• Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship  
• Latin America Amateur Championship  
• European Amateur Championship  
• African Amateur Championship  
• NCAA Championship (Individual)  
• Eisenhower Trophy (Individual)  
  
• Leading 15 available players from within the top 50 World Amateur Golf Rankings as of December 15, 2025 (excluding those players exempt into round two)  
  
• Leading 25 available players from within the top 40 on the final 2025 International Series Rankings (excluding those players exempt into round two)  
  
• Winners of Asian Tour, Japan Golf Tour, KPGA Korean Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia and Sunshine Tour sanctioned tournaments in the 2025 calendar year (excluding those players exempt into round two)  
  
• Leading 30 available players from within the top 300 Data Golf Rankings as of December 15, 2025 (excluding those players exempt into round two)  
  
• Invitations as determined by LIV Golf League  

Category B: Exemptions into Round 2

1. Top 15 players from World Amateur Golf Rankings as of December 15, 2025  
2. Winners of the following amateur events last played in 2025:  

• US Amateur Championship  
• The Amateur Championship  
• Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship  
• Latin America Amateur Championship  
• European Amateur Championship  
• African Amateur Championship  
• NCAA Championship (Individual)  
• Eisenhower Trophy (Individual)  
  
• Leading 10 available players from top 20 on the final 2025 International Series Rankings  
  
• Leading available player from each of the following professional Tours as of December 15, 2025:
    
• Asian Tour  
• Japan Golf Tour  
• KPGA Korean Tour  
• PGA Tour of Australasia  
• Sunshine Tour  
  
• Winners of PGA Tour and DP World Tour-sanctioned tournaments in the 2024 and 2025 calendar years  
  
• Leading 10 available players from within the top 30 of the final 2025 DP World Tour and Korn Ferry Tour Order of Merits / Rankings  
  
• Leading 20 available players from within the top 100 of the final 2025 PGA Tour FedEx Cup standings
    
• Leading 30 available players from within the top 150 Data Golf Rankings as of December 15, 2025  
  
• Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup participants from 2021 – 2025  
  
• Winners of Major Championships from 2021 – 2025  
  
• Players relegated or without a contract for the following season from the final 2025 LIV Golf Individual Standings  

Invitations are determined by LIV.

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