Do LIV Golf players really have a much more comfortable schedule? To break it down, they play 13 tournaments a year and a Team Championship. Some of them also participate in the DP World Tour calendar. A select few also qualify for the majors. That seems quite manageable, and they definitely earn far more lucrative paychecks. However, you’d be surprised to know that they also go through a hectic schedule just like their peers from the PGA Tour. The only difference is, while the likes of Scottie Scheffler & Justin Thomas travel across the United States, veterans like Phil Mickelson & Ian Poulter take 20-hour flights from Mexico to Hong Kong.

And that was the topic of discussion on the latest episode of The Colin Cowherd Podcast, when the namesake host was joined by Kevin Na on YouTube. During a segment, Cowherd questioned Na if he ever felt like he and his fellow LIV Golf pros were comparable to athletes from other sports, because of how often they play for long hours under the hot summer sun. He mentioned events like LIV Golf Mexico, Dallas, Singapore, Hong Kong, & more as examples. He also suggested that when he looks at Phil Mickelson sometimes, the 55-year-old looks exhausted.

The Iron Heads’ captain replied, “Oh, yeah. I mean, Singapore is extremely hot. I remember, in the PGA Tour days, we played in Malaysia, and it was extremely hot. Dallas, this year, we played; it was rough.” Na shared a few examples of places he also felt were quite exhausting to play at. He also mentioned how stressful it is to travel the world while playing in LIV Golf every season.

The 41-year-old added, “We went from Saudi Arabia to Australia. We went from Mexico City to Seoul. Literally, we have a 20-hour travel day. As soon as we land, if it’s during the morning, we go straight to the golf course, and we start practicing. That’s not easy to do.” Working on a tight schedule like that of LIV Golf leaves little room for the players to adjust to the new destinations. They just have to start practicing and performing wherever they are. If they do get the opportunity to take a few weeks off between events, then that is the only time they get to relax and decompress.

However, as Na mentioned, when they are playing consecutive events, “Your time zones are all off. We get up in the morning, we spend all day on the golf course, we train, we practice, we may not look like an athlete, but we are.” While golf might not be a physical or combat sport, the demanding schedule of LIV Golf pros does push them to limits that sportsmen from high-contact sports also go through. That makes Kevin Na think that they fit the profile just as well as anyone else.

With LIV Golf growing and expanding every year, things will only get more intense for the likes of Na, Mickelson, Poulter, and others on the road. In fact, the much-questioned schedule for the 2026 season already shows some major flaws that would be a gruesome test for its players.

Things are about to heat up for Phil Mickelson & co. in 2026

The 2025 schedule of LIV Golf might have seemed hectic, as Kevin Na described it. However, the release of the 2026 calendar for the Tour shocked everyone due to the amount of traveling it involved across the world. An insider from Sports Business Journal shared a tentative 13-event schedule for next year a few weeks ago. It showed quite a few changes that included a few new destinations for 2026 and a few omissions from this year.

Next year, LIV Golf will head to South Africa a couple of weeks before the Masters. Thanks to their newly signed deal with the local governing body, they will also host an event in New Orleans towards the end of June.

Additionally, Dallas is off the list. Despite Bryson DeChambeau‘s desperate plea, LIV Golf won’t go back to his hometown of Dallas in 2026. However, it will go to Andalucia just a couple of weeks before the U.S. Open. The absurd schedule would make it impossible for top players of the Saudi-based promotion to get sufficient rest and practice before their major appearance. It will be interesting to see what kind of effect this will have on the likes of DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, & Co.