A major format change is creating a divide in LIV Golf.

LIV Golf was once famous for short 54-hole games. Even the name reflects the Roman numerals for 54. But in order to gain recognition from the Official World Golf Ranking, the officials moved the events to 72 holes. And Jon Rahm stood in support of that move. 

When asked about his feelings on the longer events at Riyadh Golf Club, Rahm said, “I would say I was one of the people that pushed for it. So obviously I'm happy about it.”

“I think the more golf we play, the better for stronger teams and stronger players, and I think it will benefit us four individuals and as a team, as well.”

The Spaniard framed the change as a competitive upgrade rather than a cosmetic adjustment. With longer tournaments, there’d be more consistency and depth in the gameplay. Even the governing bodies view a 72-hole gameplay as the gold standard. 

With 72 holes, the players have to manage their physical and mental endurance and stay focused for a longer duration. And that’s something the fans admire. Additionally, the move will also garner OWGR points for the LIV golfers. 

However, not everyone is supportive of the move. And Bryson DeChambeau is one of them. 

Bryson DeChambeau Doesn’t Align With Jon Rahm 

Talking to Today’s Golfer, DeChambeau said, “I’ve got a contract for this year, and we’ll go through it there and see what happens after that. Look, it’s 72 holes, it’s changed. But we’re still excited to play professionally and play for what we’re doing and go across the world.” 

The move to more holes will ultimately be good for the Crushers GC. Since golf performance has high shot-to-shot variance, lengthening the game from 54 holes to 72 holes, the sample size can be raised by 33%. And that helps in reducing the random statistical noise. 

DeChambeau continued, “Is it what we ultimately signed up for? No. So I think we’re supposed to be different, so I’m a little indifferent to it right now. Hopefully, it weighs positively on me over the course of time, but you never know. I’m not sure. We didn’t sign up to play for 72.”

Jon Rahm backs evolution toward competitive legitimacy, while Bryson DeChambeau questions the identity shift. But what do you think?

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Written by

Krushna Pattnaik

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu