Even Rory McIlroy is scratching his head over LIV Golf’s decision to change golf tournaments from 54 holes to 72 holes. LIV Golf’s move, seen as a way to finally gain recognition (and points) from the Official World Golf Rankings, represents a shift from its original philosophy, one that McIlroy believes may not have been necessary.
“I think it’s a strange move because I think they could have gotten ranking points in three rounds,” McIlroy said. “I don’t think the third round versus the fourth round held them back.”
On Tuesday, LIV Golf made headlines when it announced that the league would be moving to a traditional format in professional golf. 72 holes and 4 rounds of play. Tournaments are scheduled to begin Thursday, along with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, and while the switch will essentially see LIV Golf abandon one of its original missions to transform the professional game, team competition will continue alongside individual competition.
“It’s definitely going to be more of a traditional golf tournament than anything we’ve done in the past,” McIlroy said. “It makes them less of a natural disruptor and more in line with what everyone else is doing. But if that’s what they felt they had to do to earn ranking points, I think that’s what they had to do.”
McIlroy is correct in saying that 54 holes is not the be all and end all for LIV golf and the pursuit of OWGR certification. The Klutch Pro Tour, which features 54-hole tournaments that end after 36 holes, was incorporated into the OWGR system in April 2024 after a 17-month application process.
The MENA Tour’s separate 54-hole circuit (which LIV Golf sought to use to earn ranking points through a strategic partnership in 2022) has been part of the system since 2016. The league hasn’t held an event since 2023, but is scheduled to resume later this month.
Still, the move will likely help. LIV Golf’s initial application to the OWGR was denied in October 2023, citing the league’s closed-shop nature and the possibility that individual competitions would be modified by team competitions.
In the two years since, LIV Golf has made several advances to compensate for its shortcomings. The league recently added slots to the LIV Golf Promotional Event, giving not only the top players in the International Series, but also the second place players, a spot in the league in 2026.
During this time, some of the top players in OWGR plummeted, earning points only through major championships and starts on other tours such as the DP World Tour. Jon Rahm is No. 71, Bryson DeChambeau is No. 23, and Joaquin Niemann, once considered the best player in the world by some in the league, is No. 122 this season.
“I think the difficult thing is that we have players from LIV who say they have the potential to get world rankings, but the strength of their field is going to be very weak because they haven’t earned ranking points for a long time and a lot of players have already fallen down in the rankings,” McIlroy said. “I don’t know if the ranking points will really benefit them. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.”
