The rivalry between Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood has reignited, this time due to the new direction of LIV Golf. The Saudi league announced this week that from 2026, its tournaments will increase from 54 to 72 holes. McIlroy described the move as “peculiar” and Westwood, of course, did not let it pass.
“I don’t pay much attention to what Rory says,” the Englishman quipped on the morning show of talkSPORT, before adding the jab with his typical dry smile: “He’ll change his mind next week,” referring to Rory’s evolving stance on LIV.
A phrase and a jab. Westwood not only defends the change but celebrates it: “It’s good for the players, for the sponsors, and above all, for the fans. They have one more day of golf to enjoy,” he explained. The Englishman, now fully settled in the LIV orbit, believes the measure also responds to the pursuit of world ranking points and the need to compete on equal terms with the major championships.
“Some players focus their season on the majors, and playing only 54 holes put them at a disadvantage. This 72-hole format is more like the majors,” he noted. Here Westwood perhaps points to the deeper underlying reason, beyond the world ranking issue.
The debate, however, goes beyond the number of holes. By giving up one of its hallmarks — the 54 holes and three-day tournaments — LIV increasingly resembles what it initially sought to differentiate from. Therein lies the crux of the story: the paradox of a league that was born to break the mould and now adopts the traditional golf mould to gain legitimacy.
Westwood, like Rahm or Hatton, sees the change as a natural evolution. Rory, on the other hand, doesn’t quite understand it if the goal is to get closer to the world ranking. Between them, an old tension that neither time nor distance seems to cool. A comment from Rory, a retort from Lee, and a headline is served. 72 holes, yes, but the off-course shots continue all week long.
