“I think it’s a peculiar move. Because I think they could have gotten ranking points with three rounds. I don’t think three rounds vs. four rounds is what was holding them back,” Rory McIlroy was vocal with the new LIV Golf format.

During its inception, the league followed a 54-hole format with three rounds. However, in a recent update, the Saudi-backed tour has decided to switch to the more traditional 72-hole format with four rounds, eyeing more and more global recognition. And now,  in contrast to the Northern Irish golfer’s views, Patrick Reed has shared his excitement. 

“I love it. I love it going to 72. For me, I just feel like the more holes you play, the top players are going to kind of rise to the occasion. When you had the three-round tournaments, it turned into a really fast sprint. You knew it was going to be different, but you didn’t think it was going to be that different.”

Reed even pointed out how, previously, the golfers had to shoot a low number to try and have a shot at victory. 

With that, he even mentioned that from now on, the tournaments will allow more breathing space for all the golfers.

“It just seemed like you had to go out and shoot a ridiculously low number to have a chance to win the golf tournaments. Now I feel like it kind of aligns with all the other tours. Now you can go out and kind of really judge how you are in relation to the other players in the world.” 

Both McIlroy and Reed had their own version of a review for the new format. And why not!

After all, one of the biggest reasons for the LIV switching to the 72-hole format is to obtain the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points.

As the latest change has elicited a mixed reaction, this is not the first time the LIV has come under scrutiny for its changes. As the LIV-PGA negotiations are underway, the likes of McIlroy and Greg Norman have raised similar complaints. 

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How Greg Norman and Rory McIlroy reacted to the LIV-PGA negotiations

The whole debacle began when the ongoing rivalry between the two leagues finally seemed to pause as they announced a merger.

Soon after that announcement came to the limelight, Rory McIlroy chose to stand against it, claiming how he felt like a “sacrificial lamb.” And right after that, Greg Norman, too, echoed a similar opinion.

Andrew Beaton from The Wall Street Journal wrote, “Norman says he found out five minutes before PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan and the PGA Tour’s Jay Monahan appeared on television together to announce they had ended litigation and were entering into a framework agreement to join forces.”

In June 2023, LIV Golf and the PGA announced that they had decided to drop all litigation and join hands, aiming for the growth and success of the sport.

McIlroy has stayed with the PGA since the very beginning. And now that such a step has been taken, the Northern Irish golfer had his views.

“I think ultimately, when I look at the bigger picture, 10 years down the line, this is going to be good for the game of professional golf. It’s hard not to feel like I was a sacrificial lamb.”

Before the 2023 RBC Canadian Open, he further told the press, “I’ve come to terms with it. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that this is what’s going to happen.”

Now, it’s time to tell how the wound of secrecy following the announcement would be healed.