NZ golfer Danny Lee won the LIV Golf League tournament at Tucson in 2023. Photo: photosport
LIV Golf events will be played over 72 holes starting in 2026, the Saudi Arabia-backed circuit announced on Wednesday.
Since its inception in 2022 LIV Golf tournaments have been 54-hole events, with the majority played Friday through Sunday, an unconventional format that played a role in the Official World Golf Ranking denying it ranking points.
Moving to four days of competition with events beginning on Thursday of tournament weeks puts LIV Golf more in line with the set-up of PGA Tour events.
"This is a win for the League, and the players," said two-time major champion Jon Rahm, LIV Golf's reigning individual champion and captain of the circuit's Legion XIII.
"LIV Golf is a players league. We are competitors to the core and we want every opportunity to compete at the highest level and to perfect our craft.
"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."
The stakes are high for LIV's star-studded roster as world rankings play a key role in determining entry into golf's four majors.
The lack of ranking points has led to LIV Golf players tumbling down the rankings, with former world number one Dustin Johnson now ranked 604th in the OWGR.
"The move to 72 holes marks a pivotal new chapter for LIV Golf that strengthens our league, challenges our elite field of players, and delivers more of the world-class golf, energy, innovation and access that our global audience wants," said LIV Golf chief executive Scott O'Neil.
- Reuters
