Even Rory McIlroy is trying to comprehend LIV Golf’s choice to transition its golf competitions from 54 to 72 holes. Perceived as a tactic to eventually secure endorsement (and points) from the Official World Golf Rankings, LIV Golf’s action signifies a departure from its initial concept and one McIlroy believes may have been needless.
“I believe it’s an odd decision because I think they could have obtained ranking points with three rounds,” McIlroy expressed. “I don’t believe three rounds versus four rounds is what was preventing them.”
On Tuesday, LIV Golf captured headlines when the league revealed it would be switching to the conventional format in professional golf — 72 holes and four rounds of play. Competitions are slated to commence on Thursday similar to those on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, and the alteration fundamentally divests LIV Golf of one of its original aims, which was to revolutionize the professional sport, although the team competition will persist alongside the individual action.
“It undeniably aligns them more closely with established golf competitions than what we’ve all been doing,” McIlroy commented. “It transitions them back into not genuinely being a disruptor and rather assimilating more with what everyone else does. But if that’s what they deemed necessary to obtain the ranking points, I suppose that’s what they had to do.”
McIlroy is accurate in asserting that 54 holes was not the be-all and end-all for LIV Golf and its pursuit of OWGR recognition. The Clutch Pro Tour, which conducts 54-hole competitions with a cut following 36 holes, was incorporated into the OWGR system in April 2024 subsequent to a 17-month application procedure.
Another 54-hole circuit in the MENA Tour — which LIV Golf attempted to leverage to gain ranking points through a strategic partnership in 2022 — has been a component of the system since 2016. The league has not organized an event since 2023 but intends to return later this month.
Nevertheless, the action likely assists. LIV Golf’s preliminary application to the OWGR was rejected in October 2023 owing to the exclusive nature of the league and the individual competition potentially being influenced by that of the team competition.
In the two years since then, LIV Golf has made some progress to compensate for its shortcomings. The league recently introduced another qualifying position in its LIV Golf Promotions event and will also award not only the top player but the second-ranked player from the International Series a spot in the league for 2026.
During this period some of its best players have diminished in the OWGR and have gained points solely through major championships or starts on other tours such as the DP World Tour. Jon Rahm is down to No. 71, Bryson DeChambeau is No. 23 and Joaquin Niemann who some within the league were referring to as the best player in the world at one point this season finds himself as the world No. 122.
“I believe what’s challenging is you have the LIV guys, and say potentially they receive World Rankings, but because their strength of fields are going to be so weak because numerous guys have already fallen in the rankings because they have not had ranking points for an extended period,” McIlroy stated. “I’m unsure if the ranking points are genuinely going to benefit them. It will be intriguing to observe how it unfolds.”
