Will LIV Golf’s shift to a 72-hole format ring alarm bells in the PGA Tour headquarters? It should be considered that the Saudi-based league now has the exact same product that Brian Rolapp & Jay Monahan have to offer. The only thing is, it is fast-paced, a lot more thrilling, and has half of the best golfers in the world. While they may be on better terms with the DP World Tour, are both the Tours in threat of being overshadowed by LIV Golf? That is what veteran pro, Paul McGinley, believes.

He joined Bunkered’s Ben Parsons for an interview recently to discuss LIV Golf. During the interview, he was asked to share his thoughts on LIV Golf going from 54 to 72 holes. McGinley told Parsons, “The writing’s on the wall that it’s going to be a matter of time before LIV do get points. It’s a legitimate competitor for both the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour. Because of the huge amount of money that’s put in front of the players and relatively weak fields, the opportunity to make a lot of money is very, very clear. I think they’re a legitimate threat and they’re a legitimate competitor to the DP and the PGA Tours.”

The Irish veteran believes that, given the amount of money and time PIF has invested in the product, LIV Golf was always going to be a problem. And now that it has shifted to the traditional form of golf, they will be able to compete at the same level as the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour. That makes them a serious threat to both the Tours in the coming years.

If LIV Golf is able to attain OWGR status, it will have everything that the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour have to offer and more. Unlike the other Tours, pros will only be forced to play 15 events, according to the new contract terms. They will get the opportunity to explore various challenging courses around the world. Lastly, all the tournaments they participate in will be big-purse events. And they will get the opportunity to qualify for the majors directly from LIV Golf.

All things considered, it’s understandable why Paul McGinley strongly believes LIV Golf has turned into a legitimate threat to the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour. But how can the other Tours overcome this threat and learn to work with the Saudi-based league?

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How can the PGA Tour & the DP World Tour overcome the threat from LIV Golf?

With the kind of money PIF is investing in LIV Golf, it will be challenging for the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour to compete with them. The European Tour has already started working together with them in an attempt to build a better channel of player exchange. Recently, they also announced that they will allow their players to participate in the LIV Golf Promotions Event since it’s not clashing with any DP World Tour event from January 8-11, 2026.

However, the PGA Tour has been on the edge when it comes to aligning with LIV Golf. Both their leaders, Brian Rolapp & Scott O’Neil, have found common ground a few times already. But the Tours are still not at a stage where they can discuss collaboration yet. The PIF/PGA Tour merger discussions have already fallen apart too many times. As LIV Golf continues to grow, it will be interesting to see if the PGA Tour’s stance about them changes, purely from a business perspective.