After the 2024 season, LIV sent a questionnaire to its players with a thought-provoking question.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Should the tour\u2019s events play 72 holes, instead of 54?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not everyone was on board.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cI think of everyone who filled it out, I think there was only three guys, initially, who had said [yes] about moving there [to 72 holes],\u201d Tyrrell Hatton ahead of this week\u2019s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A year later, however, LIV defied the survey and brought that idea to fruition.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Starting in 2026, the Saudi-backed circuit, named after the number 54 in Roman numerals, will extend its tournaments an extra 18 holes<\/a> (and to a fourth day). And despite the reluctance at first, the news seems to be well received\u2014although some questions linger.<\/p>\n \u201cBy moving to 72 holes, LIV Golf is taking a proactive step to align with the historic format recognized globally,\u201d Bryson DeChambeau said in a statement. \u201cThis is a fantastic evolution of the LIV Golf product, showing how our league listens and adapts to create the best possible experience.\u201d<\/p>\n What\u2019s the biggest culprit for this shift? Perhaps it\u2019s LIV\u2019s pursuit of achieving Official World Golf Ranking points.<\/p>\n From 54 to 72. In 2026, we\u2019re expanding to a 4-round format, advancing our global growth and bringing more action for fans worldwide. #LIVGolf<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Z15uc3BaxV<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) November 4, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n The breakaway circuit applied for world ranking points after its inception in 2022; however, the OWGR board denied LIV\u2019s request in 2023, mostly because events were only 54 holes, there wasn\u2019t a proper relegation and promotion system and field sizes were limited to 54 players. But having added a relegation process for 2024, the circuit has since reapplied for OWGR recognition<\/a>, which is still being reviewed under the new OWGR president, Trevor Immelman, a former Masters champion and current CBS golf analyst.\u00a0<\/p>\n The OWGR is a key pathway for players to earn entries into major championships, and because of that, LIV CEO Scott O\u2019Neil, who assumed the position at the beginning of this year, has shown a willingness to make adjustments.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe most successful\u202fleagues around the world\u2014IPL, EPL, NBA, MLB, NFL\u2014continue to innovate and evolve their product, and as an emerging league, we are no different,\u201d O’Neil said in a statement. \u201cLIV 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Some of LIV\u2019s players, though, insist this move isn\u2019t entirely because of its desire to be recognized by the OWGR.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think [OWGR points] is one of the angles behind it. I think there were a few different things,\u201d Lee Westwood told the talkSport Breakfast Show<\/a>. \u201cSome of the guys focused their whole season around the major championships. And playing 54 holes was putting them at a bit of a disadvantage. I think they wanted to play 72 holes\u2014that represented more the major championship format. But world rankings is one of the things on LIV\u2019s mind. I don\u2019t know whether it\u2019s in the criteria or not because there\u2019s 54-hole tournaments that got world ranking points before. But I think the boxes that you need to tick with the world rankings, 72 holes probably helps that.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, Rory McIlroy, arguably LIV\u2019s staunchest detractor, isn\u2019t sure how many world ranking points would be at stake in LIV events if the tour were to be granted that designation.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s a peculiar move because I think they could have got ranking points with three rounds,\u201d McIlroy said at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. \u201cI don\u2019t think three rounds versus four rounds is what was holding them back. It certainly puts them more in line with traditional golf tournaments than what we\u2019ve all done. It brings them back into not really being a disruptor and sort of falling more in line with what everyone else does.\u201d<\/p>\n McIlroy added: \u201cI think what\u2019s hard is you\u2019ve got the LIV guys, and say potentially they get world rankings, but because their strength of fields are going to be so weak because a lot of the guys have fallen already in the rankings because they have not had ranking points for so long.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s some truth to that statement, but at the same time, Joaqu\u00edn Niemann likely wouldn\u2019t be No. 122 in the world after five LIV victories in 2025. And Jon Rahm would be higher than 71st after top 10s in all but one LIV tournament this season. Plus, there\u2019s an opportunity for additional points with the Strokes Gained World Rating, which factors someone\u2019s score relative to the field.\u00a0<\/p>\n Of course, there\u2019s a financial aspect to playing 72 holes, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n LIV\u2019s on-site attendance has been strong, and adding an extra 18 holes to competition could generate more revenue from fans, though there\u2019s a cost to operating the tournaments an extra day. On the contrary, LIV television ratings in the U.S. have been lackluster, to say the least, especially in the earlier rounds that are on FS1 or FS2, rather than Fox. A fourth day of production will also be costly, but the tour can negotiate a higher media rights fee.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Saudi Public Investment Fund, LIV\u2019s bankroller, has a virtually unlimited supply of funds. Even so, they\u2019d certainly like to see some sort of return on their investment. The league\u2019s model hasn\u2019t been profitable, as the tour\u2019s international arm has lost over $1 billion in its first three seasons<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n But if moving to 72 holes starts to buck that trend, along with inching towards looking like a more traditional golf circuit that receives world ranking points, maybe that helps facilitate a deal with the PGA Tour to unify with the framework agreement between the two tours<\/a> from 2023 currently at a stalemate.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe two of us [PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp] have talked a few times,\u201d O\u2019Neil said this week at Sportico\u2019s Invest in Sports Conference<\/a>. \u201c… Generally, we have a common view on what could be or should be the landscape of golf over the next several years. There\u2019s an opportunity for the whole golf world to come together and grow this pie.\u201d<\/p>\n The 72-hole bombshell by LIV is more nuanced than it seems, and it remains to be seen what this means for LIV\u2014and pro golf\u2019s future.\u00a0<\/p>\n One thing\u2019s probably a safe bet, though: Don\u2019t expect the tour to change its name to LXXII Golf. <\/p>\n