Disrupter bends the knee to the mundane

LIV's 72-hole pivot is a business decision; Stray Shots on Players not-so-great and small

LIV Golf makes a big but conventional change for 2026 (Michael Miller/ISI Photos via Getty Images)

Since turning the page from October to November, LIV Golf has reminded the public that it is still in business.

One day it announced it will expand from one to two qualifying spots through the LIV Golf Promotions event in January and take in the two top finishers in the 2025 International Series rankings instead of just one.

A day later, LIV announced its expansion from a 54-hole format to a 72-hole format (still no cut) for the 2026 season.

Both are significant moves for the breakaway league.

Yet, LIV Golf has been closed-mouthed about the behind-the-scenes discussions with its players to extend their contracts and who it might be recruiting to join them.

Still, what all these announcements and decisions support is LIV’s continued future viability.

LIV is starting to look more like the PGA Tour, rather than the disruptor of the game it promoted at its “golf, but louder” inception in 2022.

By changing to a 72-hole stroke-play format (while still keeping the team element), has LIV made itself less relevant and less interesting?

Nothing is more mundane in golf than the four consecutive days of stroke-play golf — unless it’s the major championships.

So, for LIV to make this shift, you have to wonder why.