{"id":432020,"date":"2026-01-27T03:51:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T03:51:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/432020\/"},"modified":"2026-01-27T03:51:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T03:51:11","slug":"liv-golfs-new-season-is-almost-here-but-one-key-piece-remains-unknown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/432020\/","title":{"rendered":"LIV Golf\u2019s New Season Is Almost Here, but One Key Piece Remains Unknown"},"content":{"rendered":"

With its season set to begin in a little more than a week, the LIV Golf League anxiously awaits word on its Official World Golf Ranking fate, hoping that good news will be forthcoming before its first of 13 individual events in 2026.<\/p>\n

There is no guarantee, however, that there will be any news, although given the nature of the decision and the public comments to date, it seems unlikely that the OWGR would let the first of the month pass and say … nothing.<\/p>\n

It felt the need to issue comment on LIV Golf earlier this month when it announced tweaks to its ranking system, so it would make sense to give an update, whether it is yes, no or undecided.<\/p>\n

And both LIV CEO Scott O\u2019Neil<\/a> and OWGR chairman Trevor Immelman have said enough publicly<\/a> to suggest they\u2019ve been working through this issue since LIV reapplied for accreditation last summer. It would seem there\u2019s been plenty of time to decide if LIV is deserving, if more needs to be done, or if there might even be a points reduction while other aspects are addressed over the coming\u00a0 year.<\/p>\n

Unless you are strongly biased on one side or the other, there does not seem to be a simple answer to the question.<\/p>\n

There are some steps LIV has taken to strengthen its bid<\/a>. Among them:<\/p>\n

> Expanding its field to 57.<\/p>\n

> Expanding from one player to two the number who earn a spot in the league via the International Series on the Asian Tour.<\/p>\n

> Expanding the qualifying spots onto the league via the Promotions event from two players to three, meaning there will be a total of five wildcard players in addition to 52 who represent 13 teams.<\/p>\n

> Going from 54-hole events to 72 holes.<\/p>\n

> Implementing a hard relegation system that saw the players outside last season\u2019s top 48 lose their spots in the league, with O\u2019Neil suggesting\u2014yet not officially announcing\u2014that the relegation zone will be widened this year, with suggestions coming in the range of 12 players.<\/p>\n

But there are also some areas that could still be problematic for the OWGR:<\/p>\n

> LIV has not addressed field variance. Perhaps it is not necessary, but the same 57 players from tournament to tournament is not ideal due to field rating issues within OWGR.<\/p>\n

> Although this is not new, another flaw was highlighted last week when Japan\u2019s Jinichiro Kozuma disclosed that he found out he was not being retained<\/a> despite not being relegated by his former Iron Heads team, which was being remade into an all-Korean squad after Ben An signed with LIV.<\/p>\n

\"Jinichiro<\/p>\n

Jinichiro Kozuma was not retained by his retooled LIV Golf team despite finishing ahead of other players who did keep their spots. | Melissa Tamez-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The top 24 are automatically retained, but LIV\u2019s \u201copen zone\u201d from 25 to 48 allows for a player to be replaced. The problem? Kozuma finished 32nd\u00a0in points and is being booted for a hand-picked player despite finishing ahead of others who are not losing their spot. Three others, including Matt Jones, faced the same fate.<\/p>\n

This has always been possible in LIV\u2019s team structure, but as it relates to OWGR, it is not viewed as a positive.<\/p>\n

And not helping is Luis Masaveu, who played nine individual events\u2014one more than Kozuma\u2014apparently under a half-season contract that saw him leave the league at midseason. He was replaced by Jose Ballester.<\/p>\n

Masaveu finished 52nd\u00a0in points but was still brought back to play for Sergio Garcia\u2019s Fireballs team.<\/p>\n

How Trevor Immelman factors into the process<\/p>\n

Immelman spoke with reporters on the LIV issue<\/a> last month at the PNC Championship and explained that he is serving like a \u201cpoint guard\u201d for the OWGR board as he does not have a vote but has sought to learn about LIV\u2019s bid and facilitate communication.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you look at the OWGR and how it\u2019s made up with 25-plus eligible tours around the world, thousands of golfers that are ranked around the world, it\u2019s about meritocracy,\u201d he said that day. \u201cThat\u2019s one of the beauties of our sport and the beauty of the professional game is earning your way onto a tour, fighting to keep your job on that tour. So it\u2019s really been more along those lines of working with them on understanding their league from that standpoint: meritocracy, promotion and relegation and the self-selection aspect of how their league is made up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those words can be viewed however you want to see them. They are not necessarily positive nor negative toward LIV\u2019s acceptance.<\/p>\n

The 2008 Masters champion who now works for CBS, Immelman has been the subject of immense online badgering over his role in this process, mostly because he is on PGA Tour broadcasts and thus viewed by LIV supporters as in conflict.<\/p>\n

That misses the fact that nobody since LIV Golf began has done more to attempt to bridge the gap. Immelman has had a constant dialogue with O\u2019Neil since taking on the role last April. And it wasn\u2019t Immelman\u2014but rather LIV Golf\u2014that elected to waste nearly two years without reapplying for accreditation.<\/p>\n

\u201cMan, the conversations I get tagged into on this app are WILD!\u201d he wrote last week on X, referring to the OWGR discussion.<\/p>\n

\"International<\/p>\n

Trevor Immelman has been in regular contact with LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil about the league’s OWGR bid. | Peter Casey-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Immelman said in December that the seven-member board could make a decision in time for LIV\u2019s season but he didn\u2019t guarantee it. And there\u2019s no reason why it couldn\u2019t go ahead at some point during the season.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the decision appears to come down to the four majors. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings are joined by reps from the four majors (including the CEOs of the USGA, R&A and PGA of America) and Nick Dastey, who represents all of the other tours, including the Asian Tour, with which LIV Golf has a relationship.<\/p>\n

Monahan, as he did in 2023, should recuse himself from the discussion. So should Kinnings. Their actions have suggested they don\u2019t want LIV to get accredited, so why allow for an appearance of conflict?<\/p>\n

The majors don\u2019t have that conflict. Both the U.S. Open and British Open have allowed small pathways for LIV players into their championships in keeping with how they deal with other smaller tours. The PGA Championship has invited numerous LIV players. Although the Masters has not cited LIV Golf in doing so, it did invite Joaquin Niemann each of the past two years.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s in the majors\u2019 best interest to have the small number of LIV players who would qualify via OWGR through LIV Golf.<\/p>\n

And so here we are. Is a decision coming?<\/p>\n

As O\u2019Neil said two weeks ago about Immelman:<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve said publicly 100 times but I\u2019ll just repeat it. I think he has the toughest job in the world,\u201d O\u2019Neil said. \u201cThink about his board. As a CEO for a long time, I\u2019ve had different boards, and they all come with their own complexities. His is made up of the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the four majors, and there\u2019s some people on that board that don\u2019t have a lot to gain by us getting world ranking points.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrevor has the complexity of where the rankings are today, where some of the greatest golfers in the world are on that ranking system, and they happen to play in LIV. We are trying to lean in\u2014we are all trying to lean in as quickly as we can and as far as we can, while keeping the integrity of the league, to make sure we\u2019re doing everything possible to make the decision easy and quick.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rory backs British Open return to Muirfield<\/p>\n

Unlike the USGA and the PGA of America, the R&A has not locked in its major championship venues well into the future. U.S. Open and PGA Championship sites are selected into the next decade. The British Open? Only through the championship next year at St. Andrews.<\/p>\n

So where will it go?<\/p>\n

Trump Turnberry is possibly in the mix, despite all the issues that come with that and which the previous R&A administration under Martin Slumbers said it wished to avoid.<\/p>\n

Turnberry last hosted the championship in 2009 when Stewart Cink defeated Tom Watson in a playoff<\/a>. Of the 10 venues in the rotation, it has gone the longest without hosting. The issues with the venue preceded Trump and still do. It has hosted the tournament just four times, mostly due to its remote location and the corresponding lack of revenue.<\/p>\n

Royal Lytham & St Anne\u2019s last hosted in 2012 when Ernie Els won his second Claret Jug and Muirfield last hosted in 2013 when Phil Mickelson rallied to win his fifth major championship.<\/p>\n

Since then, Royal Liverpool (2014, 2023), the Old Course at St. Andrews (2015, 2022, 2027), Royal Troon (2016, 2024), Royal Birkdale (2017, 2026), Carnoustie (2018), Royal Portrush (2019, 2025) and Royal St George\u2019s have all staged the tournament.<\/p>\n

Lytham\u2019s property footprint has been a concern and Muirfield\u2019s lack of attendance coupled with membership issues that were resolved in 2017 have brought a pause to the venue that many believe is the best of them all.<\/p>\n

\"Rory<\/p>\n

Rory McIlroy said Muirfield deserves to host another British Open. | Mike Frey-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Rory McIlroy, who missed the cut at Muirfield in 2013 and then won the following year at Royal Liverpool, has backed a return to the 16-time host in East Lothian, Scotland, where Mickelson joined the likes of Els, Nick Faldo, Tom Watson, Lee Trevino and Jack Nicklaus on its list of past champions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be wonderful if it was,\u201d McIlroy told reporters at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. \u201cI\u2019m not privy to those conversations, but Muirfield deserves to be back on the Open rota.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey rectified the issues they had. It\u2019s a wonderful course. It\u2019s one of the best courses on the rota and in the U.K. As well, it has to commercially make sense. I think (R&A CEO) Mark Darbon has been brought in to make the Open Championship commercially viable. I would say Muirfield, that area, North Berwick, that would probably be one of the more commercially viable opens.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is unclear if the club has done all that is necessary to appease the R&A, which lamented the poor attendance 13 years ago as well as some congestion issues on the course. It\u2019s also a challenge that the Scottish Open, contracted through 2030, is played virtually next door at the Renaissance Club the week prior\u2014which could change in 2028 due to the Olympic Games, which are pushing the Open into early August.<\/p>\n

There is also the matter of the R&A seriously considering a move outside of the U.K. for the first time in its history, with an event at Royal Portmarnock in Dublin, Ireland.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe love the golf course at Muirfield,\u201d Darbon said last summer at the Open when it was played at Royal Portrush. \u201cWe\u2019re in a discussion with the venue right now. There\u2019s some things that we need to evolve at Muirfield, the practice ground in particular is a challenge for us with a modern Open and there\u2019s some work we need to do with the venue to facilitate some of the infrastructure that we require, some cabling to enable the scale of the production that we have these days. But it\u2019s a good dialogue and we\u2019d love to be back there in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is believed the R&A wants a Scottish venue in 2028 due to daylight issues with the event being pushed back a few weeks. It will be too soon for Troon and St Andrews. That leaves Turnberry, Muirfield and Carnoustie\u2014which could also be in the mix.<\/p>\n

It was thought that the 2028 venue would be announced by the end of the year, which makes the looming decision all the more interesting.<\/p>\n

How the field at Torrey Pines will be adjusted for Brooks Koepka<\/p>\n

One of the overlooked aspects of Brooks Koepka\u2019s return to the PGA Tour is how it is likely to benefit a player or two each time he tees it up who otherwise might not have gotten into the field.<\/p>\n

The high-profile stipulations saw Koepka get fined $5 million, not be allowed to earn player equity for five years, and be prohibited from earning any FedEx bonus money this year.<\/p>\n

But no PGA Tour members will be bumped out due to his return to the Tour. Koepka is being added to existing fields.<\/p>\n

\"Brooks<\/p>\n

Brooks Koepka will make his PGA Tour return this week. | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

This week\u2019s Farmers Insurance Open has a 144-player field<\/a>. Koepka makes it 145. But because the Tour wants to make sure there are threesomes throughout the first two rounds, it added Jackson Suber and Lanto Griffin on Monday from the alternate list.<\/p>\n

Next week at the WM Phoenix Open, the field is 120 players and that same rule will apply. Koepka will be added and two more players off the reserve list will bring the field to 123 players.<\/p>\n

More Golf from Sports Illustrated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With its season set to begin in a little more than a week, the LIV Golf League anxiously…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":432021,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[427,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-432020","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-golf","8":"tag-golf","9":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/432020","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=432020"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/432020\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/432021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=432020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=432020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=432020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}