LIV Golf has confirmed adjustments for 2026 that appear to be aimed at supporting the competition’s application to receive official World Golf Ranking points.
LIV had already announced it was expanding to 72 holes after four years of 54-hole tournaments that led to the name – LIV is the Roman numeral for 54 – of the Saudi-funded league.
On Wednesday they confirmed more players will be relegated from an extended field, increasing to 11 from the six relegated in 2025.
The announcement came as the official World Golf Ranking board met with items on the agenda, including LIV’s application to gain ranking points. It also came on the same day that former Masters champion Patrick Reed announced he was following American star Brooks Koepka as he left LIV to return to the PGA Tour.
“The changes we are introducing for 2026 are about rewarding consistency, strengthening team golf and creating clearer pathways for players to earn their place and progress in the league,” said Scott O’Neil, CEO of LIV Golf.
He said the changes – 72 holes, expansion of the field by three players and the expanded points system – would be a clear signal that performance matters.
“We believe these developments make LIV Golf more competitive, more transparent and ultimately more exciting for players, teams and fans around the world,” O’Neil said.
LIV’s most notable change is expanding its “Lock Zone” from the top 24 players to the top 34 players. They are guaranteed in the league the following year.
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Rory McIlroy has described LIV Golf’s decision to expand its events to 72 holes as ‘quirky’, with the circuit set to align more with golf’s traditional tours by moving from three rounds to four.
“Open Zone” loses two spots – from the top 48 to the top 46 players who can freely change teams but are not guaranteed to be in the league.
Anyone finishing after 47th will be demoted, down from those outside the top 48.
“These changes increase turnover and meritocratic pathways into the league, increase competitive excitement throughout the season, reflect the increased field size in 2026 and are designed to provide greater clarity around season performance benchmarks,” O’Neil said.
LIV will also award points to each player in the field, instead of just the top 24. Joaquin Niemann won five times last season, but finished second to Jon Rahm – who did not win – because there were two tournaments in which the Chilean did not score points. The points will also be higher for the top ones.
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Tiger Woods says Brooks Koepka’s return to the PGA Tour is important to the game, explaining that fans want to see the best players compete against each other, adding that it strengthens competition at the top level.
LIV has previously announced that the total prize pool will increase to $30 million, with the team prize doubling to $10 million. Although the individual purse of $20m. does not change, LIV will provide $2.3 million. at each event to top players whose teams are in the top three.
The season kicks off on February 4 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Meritocracy was a main concern when OWGR considered whether to include LIV Golf. A majority of players were under contract and the turnover rate was far lower than other tours that are part of the OWGR system.
While a vote on LIV was not believed to be on the agenda, a decision was likely before the end of this week.
LIV began in 2022 with 12 teams and 48 players. It has since expanded to 13 teams and five players who are independents and earned their way through a qualifying event and the Asian Tour’s International Series.
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