The LIV Golf league will apparently need to rebrand to LXXII Golf come 2026.
That’s because the Saudi-funded tour is ridding itself of its defining feature, and namesake, for the upcoming season. According to a report by Josh Carpenter in Sports Business Journal, LIV will be moving on from its 54-hole format in favor of a 72-hole format to align with other major professional golf tours across the globe. Of course, one of the selling points for the rogue league when it launched in 2022 was its shortened format.
The move is part of an effort by LIV Golf to begin receiving Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points for its events. The league has previously applied for status within the OWGR system and been denied, with the ranking board citing LIV’s 54-hole format as inconsistent with the other tours it awards points to.
Accreditation by the OWGR means access to major championships for LIV’s players. Each of golf’s four governing bodies that control the majors offer exemptions based on world ranking. Since LIV’s launch, its players have had very few opportunities to receive ranking points, and thus limited access to golf’s four major championships.
In addition to the 72-hole format, LIV is addressing another concern of the OWGR, merit-based access to the tour. The league recently announced new pathways into the league via the International Series and LIV’s promotions event in January. Each pathway offers two spots into LIV, up from one in prior years.
From a public perception standpoint, it’s going to be difficult for LIV to walk this one back. The tour has been adamant since its launch about the superiority of the 54-hole format, only softening its rhetoric once it became apparent that a move to 72 holes would likely be necessary for OWGR purposes.
It’s unclear how the added round will impact LIV’s current U.S. broadcast deal with Fox Sports. Either the league will have just added an entire season of Thursday inventory to sell to another media partner, or Fox will receive more LIV Golf inventory to air across its various platforms.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.