Not even the most insidious, delusional, blue-tick, LIV fanatic bots on the platform formerly known as Twitter can spin this latest development into a positive.
In the next chapter of LIV Golf’s brief history, starting in 2026, the league is delivering innovation, as CEO Scott O’Neil puts it, by changing its format from 54 holes to 72 holes of stroke play.
The league, which would have you believe was derived from the collective ancestors of Usain Bolt, Kyle Walker, and Enzo Ferrari, has reverted to the crusty, old format that many would also have you believe has acted like a pool of treacle that the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour have waded through for years.
‘Don’t blink’ was another tagline LIV pushed in the past to present the league as golf’s answer to the Olympic 100-metre final.
Since starting in 2022, the new circuit has been an easy target for derision. From team names such as the Range Goats to broadcasting live on a channel that shows Penn & Teller and the Vampire Diaries, some of the barbs have been self-inflicted, and some have been unfair, too.
But LIV will have to wear this. The league’s name is literally Roman numerals for 54. 72 is LXXII, if you haven’t already read that joke a hundred times online or in group chats.
“People want something that’s going to be more exciting. And I personally think that the 54 holes is more exciting for the fans,” LIV star Talor Gooch said in 2024.
The American, who also claimed a Rory McIlroy win at the Masters of that year would’ve needed an asterisk due to LIV players missing out on qualifying, will no doubt be raging at what will now be distinctly less exciting tournaments. Jon Rahm won’t be, though.
Rahm was LIV’s marquee signing in 2024, and up there with their best acquisitions from the PGA Tour in general, alongside Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka. One thing the two-time major champion has also been vocal about since defecting was his preference for 72-hole golf.
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LIV was like a teenager, desperate to rebel and annoy their parents, so much so they pitched up a tent at the end of the garden, declaring they’ll live off wildlife and rainwater, only to trudge back inside when they smell their mum’s cooking. It was a nice idea while it lasted, but let’s get real.
The Tour Championship on the PGA Tour has an existential crisis every year, it seems. People have called for this season-ending event with 30 players to become match play, and some liked the old staggered format, which was based on each player’s FedEx Cup ranking.
But guess what format the PGA Tour decided to adopt for the 2026 season: Boring old 72-hole stroke play.
It is the traditional and widely accepted format of the game, and is the format used at the majors. But while LIV will have certainly taken Rahm’s concerns into account, there is more at play here.
The players who joined the Saudi-funded league were promised that the events would gain world ranking status, which would keep their avenues open to qualify for the majors. Four seasons into its existence, and LIV hasn’t delivered world ranking points, which means players like Tom McKibbin need to go and win the Hong Kong Open to qualify for them, if they haven’t already.
The 72-hole change is almost certainly for the benefit of the league’s Official World Golf Ranking application (OWGR). It has been rejected once, so it won’t want that again.
Interestingly though, the 54-hole format wasn’t responsible for the league’s rejection. The closed-shop nature and the potential for the team competition to compromise the individual competition each week were the main issues. The team element and the shotgun start are going to remain.
But, who is to say that LIV won’t abandon more aspects of what makes it unique? How long will the shotgun start last? Are the team franchises going to last without significant investment and build-out? Has the league reached the ceiling in terms of signing players? Would signing more players only serve to compromise meritocracy anyway?
At the end of the day, LIV cannot have everything, in the same way their players can’t have everything.
Something will have to give in the plight of Rahm and LIV teammate Tyrrell Hatton, whereby their fines for playing in LIV events as DP World Tour members will have to be paid if they ever want to play in the Ryder Cup again.
And something has now given in LIV’s bid to gain world ranking status. It has abandoned the very format at the core of its identity, and it is slowly evolving into something it never wanted to be: Just another golf tour.
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What do you make of the LIV Golf 72 holes change? What other LIV Golf format change would you like to see? Tell us on X!
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