LIV Golf’s decision to shift from 54-hole to 72-hole tournaments, effective immediately, was heralded by the league’s stars in press releases. But according to popular LIV pro Tyrrell Hatton, the format shift was more controversial when first presented to players.
Hatton admitted as much during his pre-tournament press conference at the 2025 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, where he revealed a LIV player poll one year ago showed players largely opposed to 72-hole tournaments.
Hatton reveals surprising LIV player poll results
Of the many players who have ditched the PGA Tour for LIV Golf, Hatton is one of the few who’s seen his star rise since joining the upstart league.
He’s been a fixture of the European Ryder Cup team for the better part of a decade, and a fixture near the top of major championship leaderboards over the past two years. Hatton’s volatile but genuine demeanor on the course has endeared him to golf fans the world over.
This week, he was one of the first LIV Golf pros to face questions from reporters about LIV’s move to 72-hole tournaments in his Wednesday press conference in Abu Dhabi.
When the questions began, Hatton first made it clear that he supports the change.
“I think it’s a good thing that LIV have moved to four rounds,” he began.
But then he revealed that late last year following his first season, LIV Golf provided a “questionnaire” to players, which included the 72-hole tournament idea.
“I know at the end of my first season, there was a questionnaire that was filled out. One of the questions was about moving to 72 holes,” Hatton said.
But the poll did not go well for players like Hatton who supported a move to 72 holes. According to him, only three players approved the idea on the questionnaire.
“I think of everyone who filled it out, I think there was only three guys, initially, who had said [yes] about moving there [to 72 holes],” Hatton admitted. “I guess that’s changed quite a bit in the last year, and certainly from my standpoint, I’m quite happy that we’ve moved to 72 holes.”
LIV stars praise 72-hole format shift in press release
Hatton’s revelation about players’ initial rejection of the 72-hole format shift stands in stark contrast to statements LIV’s biggest stars made in the press release announcing the change.
Jon Rahm, the league’s best player who has won back-to-back season titles, wrote, “This is a win for the League, and the players… moving to 72 holes is the logical next step that strengthens the competition, tests us more fully, and if the growing galleries from last season are any indication, delivers more of what the fans want.”
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“I think it’s a great move for the League and I’m excited for it,” chimed in Dustin Johnson. “Playing 72 holes just feels a little more like the big tournaments we’ve all grown up playing. I’ve always liked the grind of four rounds – it gives the best players a chance to rise to the top, players a chance to rise to the top.”
Joaquin Niemann, who won five LIV tournaments in 2025, said, “I’m excited to see the League make this shift.”
Two-time U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau praised the change as a “fantastic evolution” and said that “by moving to 72 holes, LIV Golf is taking a proactive step to align with the historic format recognized globally.”
DeChambeau also touched on what is likely the biggest motivation behind the format change. LIV Golf has failed to get recognition by the Official World Golf Ranking, making it more difficult for its players to qualify for major championships.
One of the biggest barriers to getting approved by the OWGR was the fact that their tournaments were only 54 holes long, while the rest of the pro golf world played 72-hole events.
If the format shift result in OWGR recognition, we should start to LIV Golf’s best players continue to compete in major championship for the foreseeable future.