Rory McIlroy breaks his silence on LIV Golf’s bold new plan for 2026 as he reveals why he isn’t convinced by the move

Rory McIlroy says he isn’t convinced by LIV Golf’s surprising decision to move to a more traditional 72-hole format at its tournaments in 2026.

Since its inception in 2022, LIV Golf events have been played out over 54 holes. 

However, in the breakaway league’s latest bid to obtain recognition from the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) system, LIV confirmed that it would be making the new structural change on Tuesday to bring itself in line with PGA and DP World Tour events. 

At present, no LIV players sit inside the world’s top 20, with Hatton, who voiced his approval of the move on Wednesday, being the highest-ranked star at No 21. 

McIlroy, meanwhile, fears that giving LIV players the chance to win ranking points will not benefit those playing on the Saudi-backed breakaway league. 

‘I think it is a peculiar move because I think they could have got ranking points with three rounds. I don’t think three rounds versus four rounds is what was holding them back,’ he said ahead of the Abu Dhabi Championship at the Yas Links on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the Saudi-backed breakaway league announced that it would be scrapping 54-hole events for 72-hole tournaments, in its bid to gain OWGR recognition (pictured: LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil)

‘It brings them [LIV players] back into not really being a disruptor and sort of falling more in line with what everyone else does. But if that’s what they felt they needed to do to get the ranking points, I guess that’s what they had to do.’

In 2023, the OWGR rejected an application from LIV Golf for eligible tour status, with rankings officials claiming LIV’s format – a 54-hole no-cut events for 48 players – was a sticking point.

However, LIV re-launched an application for OWGR points in July, with hopes that gaining recognition will help players gain access to major championships without having to rely on automatic exemptions or qualifying events.

‘I think what’s hard is you’ve got the LIV guys, and say potentially they get World Rankings,’ McIlroy, who has been pictured using the brand new TaylorMade Qi4D driver this week in the Middle East, said. 

‘But because their strength of fields are going to be so weak because a lot of the guys have fallen already in the rankings because they have not had ranking points for so long, I don’t know if the ranking points are really going to benefit them,’ McIlroy added.

‘It will be interesting to see how it plays out.’

Some, including LIV’s top-ranked player on the OWGR , Tyrrell Hatton, have expressed their delight at the move 

McIlroy branded it peculiar and stated that gaining OWGR points would not benefit players

The Battle of the big hitters

The 2025 Masters champion is, meanwhile, hoping to close out what’s been one of his greatest years yet, with yet another Race to Dubai victory, which will put him one win away from matching Colin Montgomerie’s record of eight year-end victories.

On Thursday, McIlroy tees up alongside his European Ryder Cup team-mate Hatton, and Englishman Marco Penge, who is gunning to spoil the party.

And it’s set to be a battle of the big hitters, with Penge, one of the biggest drivers on the DP World Tour, sitting just 441 points behind McIlroy in the Race to Dubai rankings.

The 27-year-old told reporters on Tuesday that while he was excited to play for the first time alongside McIlroy, he was still hoping to usurp him at the top of the rankings with a win.

‘He’s done amazingly well, even coming back in April after not playing for a few months and winning in Hainan and continuing and playing well throughout the summer,’ McIlroy said of the young Englishman.

‘He’s sort of that modern golfer, hits it long, and seems to not really have a ton of weaknesses.

The 36-year-old joked: ‘He should be longer off the tee. He’s nine years younger than me.’

McIlroy is, meanwhile, excited about the prospect of teeing up with English star Marco Penge (pictured) who could usurp him at the top of the Race to Dubai standings with a win this week

It is set to be a battle of the big hitters, with McIlroy admitting that Penge can stripe the ball further than him

The Northern Irishman will taper down his commitments in the coming years as he looks to ensure he can continue playing into his 40s, but adds that his desire to win hasn’t burned out

After a rock-and-roll season, winning the Ryder Cup, the Masters, the Players, the Irish Open and the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, McIlroy has been candid that he will be reducing his schedule in the coming years.

It is a reasoned view of a man who says he is taking inspiration from his Ryder Cup team-mate Justin Rose, hoping that he can emulate the same longevity as this year’s FedEx St. Jude winner, when he is 45 years old.

But the fire to keep winning has not burnt out at all for McIlroy, and likely never will.

‘I think I never lost belief in myself. I never lost hope. This is what I love to do. I obviously believe that each and every year that I play golf, I can still get better. I still think that I can get better at the game,’ he explained.

‘I still think there’s things that I can improve on, and you know, there’s been people that have been at my press conferences for the last five years, and I’ve said that consistently. 

‘I feel like I’m a better player now than I was ten years ago, and what, when I’m 46 and not 36, I don’t know if I’ll be able to say that.

‘But I definitely think that I can still keep improving in certain areas and get even better. That’s a fun thing to be able to say nearly 20 years into a professional career.‘