LIV Golf expanding tournament format to 72 holes in 2026

NEW YORK – LIV Golf events will be played over 72 holes starting in 2026, the Saudi Arabia-backed circuit announced on Nov 4 in a move that could help its bid to have players earn crucial world ranking points.

Since its inception in 2022, LIV Golf tournaments have been 54-hole, no-cut events, with the majority played Friday through Sunday, an unconventional format that played a role in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) denying it ranking points.

LIV Golf also said its individual and team competitions will continue to run concurrently, with the shotgun-start format remaining in place.

‘A win for the league’

Moving to four days of competition with events generally beginning on Thursday of tournament weeks puts LIV Golf more in line with the set-up of other established circuits like the PGA Tour.

There was no mention as to whether LIV Golf will impose a halfway cut.

“This is a win for the league and the players,” said two-time Major champion Jon Rahm, LIV Golf’s reigning individual champion and captain of the circuit’s Legion XIII.

“LIV Golf is a player’s league... Moving to 72 holes is the logical next step that strengthens the competition.”

High stakes

The stakes are high for LIV’s star-studded roster, a cast that in addition to Rahm includes Bryson DeChambeau, Tyrrell Hatton and Phil Mickelson, as world rankings play a key role in determining entry into golf’s four Majors.

The lack of ranking points has led to LIV Golf players tumbling down the rankings, with former world No. 1 Dustin Johnson now ranked 604th in the OWGR.

Two-time Major champion DeChambeau said he hoped the move would enable more LIV players to compete in Majors. “Everyone wants to see the best players in the world competing against each other, especially in the Majors, and for the good of the game, we need a path forward,” he said.

“The move to 72 holes marks a pivotal new chapter for LIV Golf that strengthens our league, challenges our elite field of players and delivers more of the world-class golf, energy, innovation and access that our global audience wants,” said LIV Golf chief Scott O’Neil.

The circuit, whose name is derived from the Roman numeral for 54, had previously touted its three-round tournaments as a core distinction from traditional golf events.

New application

In October 2023, LIV Golf’s bid to have its players earn ranking points was unanimously rejected by the OWGR, which said “at this time” the circuit would not be recognised as an eligible golf tour in its system.

At the time, the OWGR said LIV Golf’s 54-hole, no-cut events were an issue but added that it was one that was capable of being managed through an appropriate mathematical formula.

LIV formally withdrew its application in March 2024, but the OWGR said in 2025 that it had received a new application in June 2025 from the circuit and had commenced a review process.

The decision to adopt the 72-hole format also boosts the chances of LIV reaching an agreement with the PGA Tour over unifying golf.

The two circuit’s different formats had reportedly been a key stumbling block in ongoing negotiations. The 2026 LIV Golf season tees off in Riyadh in February. REUTERS, AFP