LIV Golf expanding tournament format to 72 holes in 2026

LIV Golf events will be played over 72 holes starting in 2026, the Saudi Arabia-backed circuit announced on Tuesday 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 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 setup 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. We are competitors to the core and we want every opportunity to compete at the highest level and to perfect our craft.

"Moving to 72 holes is the logical next step that strengthens the competition, tests us more fully, and if the growing galleries from last season are any indication, delivers more of what the fans want."

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 number one Dustin Johnson now