Rory McIlroy never bought into LIV Golf’s vision but now he has more reasons to. LIV’s 54-hole format was their biggest selling point. However, in November 2025 they announced their decision to switch to the traditional 72-hole format. This prompted Rory McIlroy to push back against a move that appears to blur the gap between the breakaway league and the traditions it once rejected.

“I think the thing with LIV is it hasn’t really resonated with people. I think there’s some good elements to it,” Rory McIlroy said on The Overlap podcast.

“And maybe it’s just I’m too much of a traditionalist to get it. But it just doesn’t seem to have anything, like they were coming into the game saying we’re going to be different, we’re going to be this, we’re going to be that, and it’s not. Even the fact that they’ve now switched from 54 holes to 72 holes to get world ranking points. So, it’s like you’re just doing what everyone else is doing. So, what’s different apart from the money?”

League officials had said that earlier format cut costs and helped improve the viewing experience. In fact, the league’s name itself was associated with the 54-hole format.

But the league’s new CEO, Scott O’Neil, and other top-level executives decided to switch to the traditional format from the 2026 season. Top players like Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, and others praised the move. It was an attempt to get the OWGR points because when the league was denied eligibility back in 2023, the format was one of the major problems cited. The OWGR wanted to rank every professional golfer equally, but LIV’s 54-hole format made it impossible.

Rory McIlroy didn’t hesitate to call out this change as completely the opposite of what LIV promised in the first place. But this is not his first time. In November 2025, ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the 2025 Masters champion said the move is peculiar. The career Grand Slam winner said that, in his view, three or four rounds didn’t matter. It was not the three rounds that were holding back LIV Golf from getting the OWGR points.

“It brings them back into not really being a destructor and sort is of falling more in line with what everyone else does,” Rory McIlroy pointed out.

However, he did acknowledge that if they thought that was holding them back and switching to a 72-hole format would help them, they had to do it.

Although LIV is moving to the standard 72-hole format, its controversial start remains the same. LIV events will continue to have shotgun starts and no cuts. The shotgun start was explicitly mentioned as a reason to deny eligibility in LIV’s first attempt. However, the officials say that it is a key to their brand.

But that’s not the only change Scott O’Neil has made. After reapplying for the OWGR points in June 2025, LIV has undergone multiple changes in an attempt to qualify.

LIV Golf changes for OWGR points

LIV Golf formally reapplied for the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points in June 2025. This triggered a series of structural changes aimed at better aligning with ranking requirements. The league’s focus is on areas such as merit-based access, competitive balance, and event formats.

Besides the switch from a 54-hole format to a 72-hole format, LIV is expanding its regular-season fields. Participation will increase from 54 golfers to 57 in 2026. The revised setup features 13 teams of four members each, along with five wild-card spots. Two of these spots are for the leaders on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit. The remaining three will come from the LIV Golf Promotions 2026 event. This will allow for 19 three-ball shotgun starts instead of the previous 18.

LIV Golf is also quietly undergoing rebranding. It has filed new trademarks, such as Southern Guards GC, alongside earlier filings, including Becko East GC, Southern Balindi GC, and Real Club De Toros GC. These filings suggest possible future team identities or league expansion plans.

Despite these efforts, LIV’s OWGR status remains unresolved. Both Scott O’Neil and OWGR Chairman Trevor Immelman have reiterated that discussions are moving forward. Immelman continues to stress the importance of merit-based qualification rather than invitation-only access.

For all the adjustments LIV Golf is making, McIlroy’s criticism highlights a lingering question about whether the league still stands for anything truly different. As LIV edges closer to the structures it once challenged, the debate now shifts from disruption to identity.