2026 LIV Golf League

2026 LIV Golf League season
Duration5 February 2026 (2026-02-05) – 30 August 2026 (2026-08-30)
Number of official events14
← 2025

The 2026 LIV Golf League is the fifth season of LIV Golf. The season will consist of 72-hole tournaments, featuring 57 players and no cut, with a team championship event at the season end.[1]

Format changes

Tournaments in the 2026 season will be contested over 72 holes, extended from 54 holes previously.[2]

Player movements

From the end of the 2025 season until the beginning of the 2026 season there were numerous changes to team rosters.

Departures

The following players (full-time only) are no longer with LIV Golf after the conclusion of the 2025 season:

  • Brooks Koepka came to an 'amicable and mutually agreed' early release from his contract, which had one year remaining.[3] Talor Gooch was appointed as the new captain of Smash GC.[4] Koepka subsequently rejoined the PGA Tour.[5]
  • Matt Jones became a free agent after Ripper GC elected not to re-sign him. With no other team looking to sign him, he entered the LIV Promotions Event to try and regain a place in the league.[6] He failed to earn one of the three places available but finished in the top-ten to earn a place on the International Series for 2026.
  • Jinichiro Kozuma and Kevin Na were not retained by Iron Heads GC (which was rebranded to Korean Golf Club, with an all-Korean lineup), and were not picked up by another team.[7]
  • Patrick Reed left after he was unable to agree terms on a contract extension. He has Honorary Life Membership of the European Tour, and is eligible to play on the PGA Tour again after August 25, 2026.[8]

Relegated players

Players (full-time only) who finished in places 49th and below were relegated from the LIV Golf League and could not be signed by another team unless they earned their way back into the 2026 season through the LIV Golf Promotions event.

The following table lists players who were relegated following the 2025 season.

Player 2025 Team 2025
Finish 		2026 Status/Tour Ref.
Henrik Stenson Majesticks GC 49th European Tour [9]
Andy Ogletree HyFlyers GC 50th
Mito Pereira Torque GC 51st n/a[a] [10]
Jang Yu-bin Iron Heads GC 53rd
Anthony Kim Wild card 55th LIV Golf League[b] [12]
Frederik Kjettrup Cleeks GC 57th

Free agents

Players who declined their contract extensions, along with those who finished in places 25–44 of the individual standings, also called the Open Zone, whose contracts expired after the season became free agents and could negotiate with any team. Free agents were not guaranteed to be signed and may have lost their playing privileges in 2026 if they were not signed. The free agency period began on 30 October 2025.[13]

Player 2025 Team 2025
Finish 		2026 Team Ref.
Abraham Ancer Fireballs GC 12th Torque GC [14]

League spots were awarded to the top two finishers in the 2025 International Series rankings, and the top three finishers at the LIV Golf Promotions, held in Florida in January 2026 with a purse of $1.5m.[15]

Player 2025 Tour(s) Qualification method 2026 Team/Wildcard Ref.
Scott Vincent Japan Golf Tour, Asian Tour International Series Order of Merit Wildcard [16]
Yosuke Asaji Japan Golf Tour, Asian Tour Wildcard
Miguel Tabuena Asian Tour Wildcard[c]
Richard T. Lee Asian Tour, Korean Tour LIV Golf Promotions Wildcard [11][17]
Björn Hellgren Asian Tour Wildcard
Anthony Kim LIV Golf League Wildcard/4Aces GC[d]

Newly signed players

In addition to qualifying for the 2026 season through the International Series or via the LIV Golf Promotions event, players who have not played for LIV Golf (full-time) can join the 2026 season by signing with the league or with a team.

Player 2025 Tour(s) 2026 Team Ref.
Victor Perez PGA Tour, European Tour Cleeks GC [19]
Laurie Canter European Tour Majesticks GC [20]
Luis Masaveu Challenge Tour, LIV Golf League (Fireballs GC, reserve) Fireballs GC [21]
Thomas Detry PGA Tour, European Tour 4Aces GC [22]
Elvis Smylie European Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia Ripper GC [23]
An Byeong-hun PGA Tour Korean Golf Club [24]
Michael La Sasso n/a (amateur) HyFlyers GC [25]

Transfers

Player From To Details Ref.
Harold Varner III 4Aces GC Smash GC [26]

Rosters

Team Members
Captain(s) Player 2 Player 3 Player 4 Substitute players
4Aces GC Dustin Johnson Thomas Detry Thomas Pieters Anthony Kim Miguel Tabuena[e]
Cleeks GC Martin Kaymer Richard Bland Adrian Meronk Victor Perez John Catlin[f]
Crushers GC Bryson DeChambeau Paul Casey Charles Howell III Anirban Lahiri
Fireballs GC Sergio García Josele Ballester Luis Masaveu David Puig
HyFlyers GC Phil Mickelson Michael La Sasso Brendan Steele Cameron Tringale Ollie Schniederjans[g]
Wade Ormsby[h]
Korean Golf Club An Byeong-hun Kim Min-kyu Danny Lee Song Young-han
Legion XIII Jon Rahm Tyrrell Hatton Tom McKibbin Caleb Surratt
Majesticks Golf Club[i] Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood Laurie Canter Sam Horsfield Ben Schmidt[j]
RangeGoats GC Bubba Watson Ben Campbell Peter Uihlein Matthew Wolff
Ripper GC Cameron Smith Lucas Herbert Marc Leishman Elvis Smylie
Smash GC Talor Gooch Jason Kokrak Graeme McDowell Harold Varner III
Southern Guards GC Louis Oosthuizen Dean Burmester Branden Grace Charl Schwartzel
Torque GC Joaquín Niemann Abraham Ancer Sebastián Muñoz Carlos Ortiz

Schedule

The following table lists official events during the 2026 season.[35][36][37][38]

Date Tournament Host country Purse (US$) Individual winner[k] Winning team OWGR
points		 Notes
Individual Team
7 Feb LIV Golf Riyadh Saudi Arabia 20,000,000 10,000,000 Elvis Smylie (1) Ripper GC 22.99
15 Feb LIV Golf Adelaide Australia 20,000,000 10,000,000 Anthony Kim (1) Ripper GC 23.14
8 Mar LIV Golf Hong Kong Hong Kong 20,000,000 10,000,000 Jon Rahm (3) 4Aces GC 23.01
15 Mar LIV Golf Singapore Singapore 20,000,000 10,000,000 Bryson DeChambeau (4) 4Aces GC 23.20
22 Mar LIV Golf South Africa South Africa 20,000,000 10,000,000 Bryson DeChambeau (5) Crushers GC 24.13 New tournament
19 Apr LIV Golf Mexico City Mexico 20,000,000 10,000,000
10 May LIV Golf Virginia United States 20,000,000 10,000,000
31 May LIV Golf Korea South Korea 20,000,000 10,000,000
7 Jun LIV Golf Andalucía Spain 20,000,000 10,000,000
28 Jun LIV Golf Louisiana United States 20,000,000 10,000,000 New tournament
26 Jul LIV Golf UK England 20,000,000 10,000,000
9 Aug LIV Golf New York United States 20,000,000 10,000,000
23 Aug LIV Golf Indianapolis United States 20,000,000 10,000,000
30 Aug LIV Team Championship United States n/a 50,000,000

Notes

  1. ^ In December 2025, Pereira announced his retirement from professional golf.
  2. ^ Regained place via LIV Golf Promotions in January 2026.[11]
  3. ^ Tabuena finished 3rd in the International Series Order of Merit and was promoted to Wildcard after Anthony Kim joined the 4Aces GC.
  4. ^ Kim joined the 4Aces GC, replacing Patrick Reed, ahead of the Adelaide event.[18]
  5. ^ Tabuena substituted for the departed Patrick Reed in Riyadh.[27]
  6. ^ Catlin substituted for Kaymer in Adelaide.[28]
  7. ^ Schniederjans substituted for Mickelson in Riyadh.[29]
  8. ^ Ormsby substituted for Mickelson in Adelaide,[30] Hong Kong[31] and Singapore.[32]
  9. ^ Poulter and Westwood are co-captains of Majesticks Golf Club.[33]
  10. ^ Schmidt substituted for Westwood in Riyadh and Adelaide.[34]
  11. ^ The number in brackets after each winner's name is the number of LIV Golf League events they had won up to and including that tournament.

References

  1. ^ Leighfield, Jonny (27 August 2025). "LIV Golf Schedule 2026: Multiple New Events Confirmed In League's 'Most Global' Year Yet". Golf Monthly. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  2. ^ Turnbull, John (4 November 2025). "LIV Golf announces biggest format change yet". bunkered. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  3. ^ "Brooks Koepka becomes first player to quit LIV Golf". Golf Business News. 24 December 2025. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
  4. ^ "Statements on Talor Gooch taking over as Smash GC captain". LIV Golf. 23 December 2025. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
  5. ^ McDonald, Patrick (12 January 2026). "Brooks Koepka reinstated by PGA Tour through 'Returning Member Program,' set to play Farmers Insurance Open". CBS Sports. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  6. ^ Leighfield, Jonny (22 December 2025). "Matt Jones And Ben Campbell Dropped By Respective LIV Golf Teams". Golf Monthly. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  7. ^ "LIV Golf parts with Kevin Na as team rebranded to Korean Golf Club". SuperSport. 15 January 2026. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  8. ^ Turnbull, John (28 January 2026). "Patrick Reed announces shock LIV Golf exit". bunkered. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  9. ^ Beall, Joel (17 November 2025). "LIV Golf co-captain Henrik Stenson returning to DP World Tour after LIV relegation". Golf Digest. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
  10. ^ Schmitt, Tim (22 December 2025). "Mito Pereira announces retirement from pro golf in shocking move". Golfweek. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
  11. ^ a b Hall, Mike; Cradock, Matt (11 January 2026). "Anthony Kim Earns LIV Golf Return At Promotions Event As Circuit Welcomes Two New Players". Golf Monthly. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  12. ^ Leighfield, Jonny (9 November 2025). "'I Am Going To Play For A Few More Years' - Anthony Kim Outlines Potential Plans Following LIV Golf Relegation". Golf Monthly. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
  13. ^ "LIV Golf opens offseason player movement window ahead of 2026 Season". Golf Digest Middle East. 31 October 2025. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
  14. ^ Heath, Elliott (16 December 2025). "Abraham Ancer Switches LIV Golf Teams In Transfer Window Move". Golf Monthly. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
  15. ^ "LIV Golf increases pathways to 2026 League with additional qualifying spots through LIV Golf Promotions and The International Series". LIV Golf. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  16. ^ Smith, Ben (22 November 2025). "Meet the two players who just secured fully exempt LIV Golf status for 2026". GolfMagic. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  17. ^ "Lee, Hellgren and Kim the magic three at LIV Golf Promotions". Asian Tour. 12 January 2026. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  18. ^ "Anthony Kim joining 4Aces GC as new team member for remainder of 2026 season". LIV Golf. 12 February 2026. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  19. ^ "French Star Victor Perez Joins Cleeks Golf Club Ahead of 2026 LIV Golf Season". LIV Golf. 18 November 2025. Retrieved 18 November 2025.
  20. ^ Heath, Elliott (1 December 2025). "Laurie Canter Turns Down PGA Tour To Join LIV Golf". Golf Monthly. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  21. ^ Smith, Ben (20 December 2025). "Golf fans accuse LIV of breaking their own rules... but all is not as it seems". GolfMagic. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
  22. ^ "4Aces GC signs Johnson to multi-year extension, adds rising star Detry as 2026 roster is confirmed". LIV Golf. 14 January 2026. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  23. ^ "Ripper GC signs Australian rising star Elvis Smylie ahead of 2026 LIV Golf season". LIV Golf. 14 January 2026. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  24. ^ Sung, Ho-Jin (14 January 2026). "Golfer An Byeong-hun leaves PGA Tour after more than a decade to join LIV's Korean Golf Club". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  25. ^ Jourdan, Cameron (20 January 2026). "Reigning NCAA champion Michael La Sasso turns pro, joins LIV Golf". Golfweek. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  26. ^ "Smash GC announces 2026 roster as Harold Varner III joins lineup ahead of LIV Golf season". LIV Golf. 21 January 2026. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  27. ^ "Dustin Johnson's 4Aces Confirm Replacement For LIV Golf League Opener After Patrick Reed's Departure". Golf Monthly. 3 February 2026. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  28. ^ "Cleeks Golf Club captain Kaymer out of LIV Golf Adelaide, replaced by Catlin". LIV Golf. 11 February 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
  29. ^ "Phil Mickelson withdraws from LIV Golf events due to family health matter". Bunkered. 1 February 2026. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
  30. ^ Keipert, Steve (11 February 2026). "LIV Adelaide 2026: Wade Ormsby is flying high after late call-up". Australian Golf Digest. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  31. ^ "Ormsby to step in for Mickelson at LIV Golf Hong Kong". SuperSport. 1 March 2026. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  32. ^ Schreiber, Max (10 March 2026). "Phil Mickelson to Miss Another LIV Golf Event". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
  33. ^ Roberts, Andy (17 September 2024). "Exclusive: Majesticks GC Team Principal talks to GolfMagic about all things LIV Golf". GolfMagic. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
  34. ^ Smith, Ben (2 February 2026). "LIV Golf announce replacement for injured Lee Westwood". GolfMagic. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
  35. ^ "The 2026 schedule has arrived". LIV Golf. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  36. ^ "LIV Golf 2026 schedule: Two brand new events – and two axed". Today's Golfer. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  37. ^ Roberts, Andy (26 July 2025). "LIV Golf confirms multi-year commitment to new continent in 2026". Golf Magic. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  38. ^ "LIV Golf announces return to New York market for 2026 season". LIV Golf. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
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