LIV Golf Star Reveals Virtually None Of Its Players Were In Favor Of Moving To 72-Hole Format
Things have changed rather quickly with LIV Golf.
LIV Golf is moving away from its 54-hole tournament format – one of the key factors that made the circuit unique – and will begin playing 72-hole events in 2026.
The change is not just a surprise for those on the outside looking in, but it sounds like it may have been a bit of a stunner for its players as well. That, or their opinions have drastically changed in just a year. All in all, it's likely a mixture of the two, with the change being a surprise yet a simple adaptation to circumstances.
The team aspect and shotgun start before each round will remain intact moving forward, but tacking on an extra round at the end of each week undoubtedly changes things. For starters, the LIV Golf name doesn't make any sense now, with LIV being the Roman numeral for the number 54, but playing 72 holes each week wasn't what LIV's players were originally sold on.
Tyrrell Hatton, the No. 21 player in the world and one of LIV's biggest stars, spoke with the media ahead of this week's Abu Dhabi Championship on the DP World Tour. The Englishman was asked about LIV's shift to 72-hole tournaments and went on to explain that the overwhelming majority of players were not in favor of the move when asked about it at the end of the 2024 season.
"I know at the end of my first season there was a questionnaire that was filled out. One of the questions was about moving to 72 holes, and I think of everyone that filled it out, only three guys initially had said (they were in favor) of moving there," Hatton explained.
"I guess that's changed quite a bit in the last year, and certainly, from my standpoint, I'm quite happy."
According to Golf Digest's Jamie Kennedy, a total of 48 players filled out the questionnaire Hatton referenced at the end of the 2024 campaign.
While LIV Golf's statement on Tuesday did not mention Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points playing any sort of role in its decision to move to a 72-hole format, it's quite obvious it had a huge impact on the decision.
Since its first season in 2022, LIV Golf has never been recognized by the OWGR, meaning its players do not receive any World Ranking points from any LIV tournament results. This makes getting exemptions into certain major championships much more difficult for LIV players, given they can only earn highly valuable ranking points in starts outside of LIV events.
Playing 72 holes is likely a step in the right direction for LIV to potentially earn OWGR status, but the events still do not have a cut, which has been a huge knock against the Saudi-backed circuit since its inception.