LIV\u00a0Golf, the Saudi-funded league known for its 54-hole events with shotgun starts, is expanding to 72 holes for the 2026 season and adding a few extra qualifying spots in a move that could boost its bid to be recognized by the Official World\u00a0Golf\u00a0Ranking.<\/p>\n
The name of the league \u2014 the roman numeral for 54 \u2014 was built around its faster pace over three rounds instead of the traditional four on most other circuits.<\/p>\n
The shotgun start will remain for a league that is likely to see 57 players.\u00a0LIV\u00a0previously said it would take the leading two available players from the International Series ranking on the Asian Tour, and two players from the qualifying tournament in January.<\/p>\n
Scott O’Neil, the\u00a0LIV\u00a0Golf\u00a0CEO, did not mention the OWGR in the announcement Tuesday, saying only the move to 72 holes marks a \u201cpivotal new chapter\u201d that strengthens the league and challenges the players.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most successful leagues around the world … continue to innovate and evolve their product, and as an emerging league, we are no different,\u201d O’Neil said. “LIV\u00a0Golf\u00a0will always have an eye towards progress that acts in the best interest of\u00a0LIV\u00a0Golf\u00a0and in the best interest of the sport.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bryson DeChambeau, the two-time U.S. Open champion and one of the top figures in\u00a0LIV\u00a0Golf, got straight to the point on what the change to 72 holes will mean.<\/p>\n
“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,\u201d DeChambeau said in a statement released by\u00a0LIV.<\/p>\n
“By moving to 72 holes,\u00a0LIV\u00a0Golf\u00a0is taking a proactive step to align with the historic format recognized globally. This is a fantastic evolution of the\u00a0LIV\u00a0Golf\u00a0product, showing how our league listens and adapts to create the best possible experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
LIV\u00a0Golf\u00a0Promotions is set for Jan. 8-11 at Black Diamond Ranch in Lecanto, Fla., a Tom Fazio design with a dramatic stretch of closing holes built around a quarry.<\/p>\n
It will be the first qualifying event held in North America \u2014 the other two were in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi \u2014 and the PGA Tour pushed back by saying there would be repercussions for any of its players who try to qualify.<\/p>\n
The tour said any member from the PGA Tour or developmental tours who play in\u00a0LIV\u00a0Golf\u00a0Promotions would not receive a release because of the media rights involved with a competing tour in North America. It did not say what the punishment would be, citing its longstanding policy of not disclosing disciplinary matters.<\/p>\n
The tour also said anyone who is not a member, such as an amateur or someone whose status has not been determined on the PGA Tour Americas, would be banned from any PGA Tour competition for one year.<\/p>\n
The Promotions event is Jan. 8-11, which now is one week before the start of the PGA Tour season now that The Sentry has been cancelled because of water issues at Kapalua in Hawaii.<\/p>\n
It was not clear if\u00a0LIV\u00a0Golf\u00a0was going to add a 14th team to its league. The team competition will be unchanged and all four rounds will count. It has not said how the team championship at the end of the season will be determined.<\/p>\n
The OWGR rejected LIV’s request for world ranking points when it began, primarily concerned over the closed shop of the league \u2014 it had the same 54 players all year except for alternates replacing injured players \u2014 and the concerns that team competition could affect the integrity of the individual competition since it was based on the same scores.<\/p>\n
The 54 holes also was a concern, though there are other tours that receive world ranking points for 54-hole competitions.<\/p>\n
LIV\u00a0Golf\u00a0submitted a new application in June, before its decision to expand to 72 holes.<\/p>\n
The OWGR is seen as critical because the four majors use the ranking to help determine the field. The U.S. Open and British Open have created a separate qualifying category for\u00a0LIV\u00a0players, while the PGA Championship has leaned on its vague \u201cspecial invitations\u201d to create an opportunity for\u00a0LIV. The Masters, too, has said it could use its invitations at its discretion to get\u00a0LIV\u00a0players it feels is worthy of a spot.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0LIV\u00a0events will be Thursday through Sunday, with the exception of events in Saudi Arabia that end on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a win for the league, and the players,\u201d said Jon Rahm, who has won the individual title in each of his two years with\u00a0LIV. “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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dustin Johnson said a 72-hole event \u201cjust feels a little more like the big tournaments we\u2019ve all grown up playing.\u201d<\/p>\n
LIV\u00a0Golf\u00a0begins its fifth season on Feb. 4-7 in Saudi Arabia. Still be determined are players switching teams or trying to play their way onto the league that offers $20 million purses and no cuts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LIV\u00a0Golf, the Saudi-funded league known for its 54-hole events with shotgun starts, is expanding to 72 holes for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":263991,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[443],"tags":[49,48,622,82],"class_list":["post-263990","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263990","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=263990"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263990\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/263991"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=263990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=263990"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=263990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}