The LIV Tour announced a major change to its tournaments for the 2026 season on Tuesday. The 54-hole format, a defining characteristic of the tour, will be replaced by tournaments played in the traditional 72-hole format.
The LIV was launched in 2022 as a revolutionary Saudi tour, spearheaded by Greg Norman to compete with the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour. With its substantial prize money, the tour's format also attracted numerous stars, as it guaranteed shorter tournaments without a cut, ensuring more days of play.
Liv Golf, news
Jon Rahm carded a spectacular 60 in Indianapolis to be crowned LIV Tour champion for the second year in a row, surpassing Joaqun Niemann and pocketing an $18 million prize.
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In fact, those fifty-four holes were what gave the tour its name ('LIV' means 'fifty-four' in Roman numerals). However, that idea is being abandoned because LIV believes that evolving to seventy-two holes will allow it to take another step forward in its growth.
"We're entering our fourth season as a league, and the move to 72 holes marks a key chapter for LIV Golf and its challenges," the circuit explained in a statement. "The world's leading leagues, such as the IPL (Indian Cricket League), the EPL (Premier League), the NBA, MLB, and NFL, continue to evolve, and we, as an emerging league, always want to progress in pursuit of the best interests of LIV Golf and our sport," the organization stated. The team competition will remain, and there is no mention of a cut format.
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"This is a victory for the league and the players," Jon Rahm said of the decision. "LIV Golf is a league for the players, and we want to take advantage of every opportunity to compete. Evolving to 72 holes is the logical next step," said the player from Barrika, the league's reigning champion. With this decision, the LIV aims to continue growing in visibility, with the league itself estimating that its presence will have increased by around 90% by 2025 compared to 2024 figures.
The decision made by the LIV will bring the circuit closer to the other major circuits, at least in terms of format. The increase in tournaments from three rounds to four will mean that, with a few exceptions, they will also be played from Thursday to Sunday, in line with the other major circuits worldwide.
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This move is not isolated. LIV tournaments still do not count towards the world ranking, and the decision may be driven by the desire for players on the circuit to see their short-term results recognized in the rankings. However, there are no updates on this matter at this time.
Furthermore, this decision is fundamental to the circuit's growth towards globalization, the LIV's great ambition, as it aims to become a universal brand not tied to any specific geographic location. In line with this objective, the LIV has also announced that its exemptions to the International Series sanctioned by the Asian Tour will increase from one to two for 2026.
These will not be the only merit-based pathways to the circuit. 2026 will begin with the LIV Golf Promotions, from January 8-11 at Black Diamond Ranch (Lecanto, Florida), a tournament that, while played over seventy-two holes but with a different scoring format than the traditional one, will award the champion and runner-up a place in the 2026 edition of the LIV.
