Legion XIII dominance and the new LIV points reality

Rahm wins the Team Championship

I find the Legion XIII victory in Michigan the most impressive display of the 72-hole format’s potential. Jon Rahm led his squad to a playoff win over Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC at The Cardinal at St John’s to claim the Team Championship. The match ended in a tie at 20-under after both teams finished the 18th hole level. Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton then defeated Paul Casey and DeChambeau in a two-on-two strokeplay playoff. DeChambeau missed his chip shot from the rough on the second extra hole, which forced the match into a playoff. Hatton played a beautiful approach on the second extra hole to put pressure on his opponents. Hatton made his birdie while Casey missed his putt from distance. This victory follows Rahm’s Individual Championship win at LIV Golf Indianapolis just one week prior. The shift to 72 holes, which most events start on a Thursday, aims to challenge the elite field. The decision to adopt the 72-hole format also boosts the chances of LIV reaching an agreement with the PGA Tour over unifying golf because the two different formats acted as a significant stumbling block during the negotiations. The strokeplay round began with three teams remaining in contention after Saturday’s semifinals. Crushers GC, Legion XIII, and Stinger GC emerged as the winners of the Championship Bracket. Crushers GC held a lead of 19-under before the playoff. Legion XIII closed the gap to just one shot as Crushers GC slipped to 18-under on the 17th hole. Rahm then matched DeChambeau’s birdie on the 17th to level the score.

Restricted OWGR points

LIV Golf finally receives Official World Golf Ranking points for the 2026 season. This decision ends a long standoff between the Saudi-backed circuit and the ranking board, yet the distribution remains quite stingy for the majority of the field. Only the top 10 finishers in the 57-man LIV fields receive points. You should realize that this limit severely restricts a player’s ability to climb the rankings for major championship qualification.

The winner of LIV Riyadh earns 23.03 points. This figure sits below the 66 points a PGA Tour Signature Event winner takes. It also stays below the 59 points a winner takes at the WM Phoenix Open. Trevor Immelman, the OWGR chairman, says the board found a solution that enables the best-performing players to receive points while maintaining meritocratic pathways for thousands of players on other tours. This decision comes after LIV submitted its application earlier this summer following an alliance with the MENA Tour.

Relegation and the Promotions field

LIV Golf maintains a strict hierarchy through its promotion and relegation system. The league offers five promotion spots, including three from the Promotions Event and two from the International Series. These spots represent 8.8% of the 57-man field. The PGA Tour promotes approximately 22% of its field annually. The OWGR criticized the LIV relegation model as inequitable and discriminatory. In 2025, the league removed four players from teams after they finished in the "open zone," including Matt Jones, Kevin Na, and Max Lee. These players lost their positions despite finishing ahead of others who kept their spots. The OWGR also noted that six of the 13 teams reflect national or regional identities, which conflicts with its non-discrimination standards. The 93 players in the LIV Golf Promotions attempt to secure one spot in the 2025 LIV Golf League through three days of competition. On day one, 64 Category-A golfers play 18 holes, and the top 20 and ties advance. On day two, the top 20 and ties from the first round join Category B players for another 18-hole round. Scores reset at the start of each round. LIV also made a $300 million investment in the Asian Tour. Does the limited point distribution for the top 10 finishers actually suffice to satisfy the OWGR’s meritocratic requirements?