LIV Golf season preview as Jon Rahm returns to defend title: Full list of venues, teams, players to watch and how points are scored
Updated 02/02/2026 at 19:41 GMT
The LIV Golf season begins in early February, with Jon Rahm back to defend the title he won in 2025. As well as winning the individual prize, Rahm and his Legion XIII made off with LIV Golf's team championship in thrilling fashion. There are more events and more holes in 2026, and you can follow all the action from around the globe on TNT Sports and discovery+.
'I'm not going anywhere!' - Rahm & DeChambeau to stay put at LIV Golf
Video credit: SNTV
The 2026 LIV Golf season - live on TNT Sports and discovery+ - is looming large on the horizon, with major changes from the previous year.
Gone are 54-hole, three-day events - with the format tweaked to be 72 holes over four days - bringing LIV Golf into line with the majority of global golf tours.
Conversations about world ranking points are likely to follow. Shotgun starts remain in operation.
Irrespective of the number of holes or days, LIV Golf fans will get the chance to see stars of the sport battle it out on 14 courses around the globe.
Jon Rahm will be front and centre once again after winning both the individual title and team championships in 2025, alongside his Legion XIII team-mates Tyrrell Hatton, Caleb Surratt and Tom McKibbin.
As well as Rahm, major champions such as Dustin Johnson, Martin Kaymer, Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, Cameron Smith, Graeme McDowell, Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel will be teeing off in 2026.
LIV officials have confirmed 13 of the 14 venues for the 2026 season, with one more to be announced that will host the 57 players and 13 teams.
- Canter to learn from 'legends' Poulter and Westwood
- Grateful Kim wins promotion back to LIV Golf League
How it works
A field of 57 players, including five wild cards, will compete over a 14-event season - with individual and team prizes up for grabs.
What was 54 holes is now 72 holes. Whereas on most tours, players tee off at different times, there will be 18 groups spread around the course and all will tee off at the same time - known as a shotgun start.
A shotgun was used back in the day so players at the far reaches of the course could be alerted to the start, but it is usually a horn or siren in the modern era. Somewhat safer, it has to be said.
The events are stroke play, and the lowest individual score will take home the top prize. The lowest combined score will take home the team accolade. All four scores of the players count for the team prize.
A tweak from 2025 is the awarding of points. The top 24 players on each leaderboard accrued points last year, but now all players will pick up points. The winner secures 200 points, second place takes 113 and third claims 75.
From fourth to 57th there is a sliding scale of points, with the player in last place securing one point.
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'I didn't want to play' - Kim opens up on struggles after sealing LIV Golf place
Video credit: SNTV
It is a similar story with the team competition. The top eight teams gained points in 2025, but that has changed and all 13 teams will score. The winner receives 30 points, 15 go to the second-placed team, and nine for the team in third. It is then a sliding scale from fourth to 13th.
The individual title is decided at the end of the 13th event. The player with the most points takes home the pot.
The top 34 players at the end of the season are in the 'lock zone' and safe for 2027 with their current teams.
Players placed 35 to 467 are invited back for the next season, but anyone with an expiring LIV Golf contract is not guaranteed a spot on the same team.
Players ranked 47 and below are under threat of relegation but have the opportunity to work their way back into LIV Golf.
After the individual season is concluded, the focus turns to the team championship. It is a blend of stroke play and match play. The quarter-finals and semi-finals are match play, while for the final the competition reverts to stroke play, where all four scores count.
Teams
4Aces GC - Dustin Johnson, Thoms Detry, Thomas Pieters
Cleeks Golf Club - Martin Kaymer, Richard Bland, Adrian Meronk, Victor Perez
Crushers GC - Bryson DeChambeau, Paul Casey, Charles Howelll III, Anirban Lahiri
Fireballs GC - Sergio Garcia, Josele Ballester, Luis Masaveu, David Puig
Hyflyers GC - Phil Mickelson*, Michael La Sasso, Brendan Steele, Cameron Tringale
Korean Golf Club - Byeong Hun An, Minkyu Kim, Danny Lee, Younghan Song
Legion XIII - Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, Caleb Surratt and Tom McKibbin
Majesticks Golf Club - Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Laurie Canter, Sam Horsfield
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 - Joaquin Niemann, Abraham Ancer, Sebastian Munoz, Carlos Ortiz
Wild Cards - Yosuke Asaji, Bjorn Hellgren, Anthony Kim, Richard Lee, Scott Vincent
*Misses first two events, to be replaced by Ollie Schniederjans
Venues
Riyadh Golf Club, Saudi Arabia - Feb. 4-7
The opening event of the year will be one to savour, with the players competing under floodlights.
The Duncan Thompson-designed Riyadh Golf Club, known as the 'Pearl of the Desert’ stretches out to 7,000 yards from the professional tees.
Wide fairways encourage players to go long off the tee, while the island green at the eighth is a special sight. Adrian Meronk took the individual prize 12 months ago.
The Grange Golf Club, Australia - Feb. 12-15
To say Australian fans embraced LIV Golf last year would be an understatement, as 102,000 people flooded through the gates of the Adelaide venue 12 months ago. With an extra day tagged on in 2026, expect that record to be broken.
Joaquin Niemann will be back to defend his individual title, with The Grange celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2026.
Hong Kong Golf Club at Fanling, Hong Kong - Mar. 5-8
The Old Royal Course dates back to 1889, and has hosted the Hong Kong Open since 1959.
The 13th and 17th holes share a large double green, so keep an eye out for incoming balls is the message, while the tight layout will not necessarily favour the big hitters. Sergio Garcia claimed the individual prize in 2025.
Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore - Mar. 12-15
The Serapong course opened for play in 1982 and has gone through a number of renovations, the latest being in 2020.
Situated on the tropical island of Sentosa, the 15th is a sight to behold as players tee off over the ocean. Joaquin Niemann won the title in 2025.
The Club at Steyn City, South Africa - Mar. 19-22
LIV Golf breaks new ground in March with a first appearance on African soil. The course has hosted Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour events.
On the Nicklaus-design layout, the rebranded Southern Guards GC composed of Louis Oosthuizen, Dean Burmester, Branden Grace and Charl Schwartzel will be roared on by the home fans.
Club de Golf Chapultepec, Mexico, Apr. 16-19
It is quite the year for Mexican sport with a World Cup coming to the country later in the summer, and in April there will be golfing stars on show.
Nestled at 7,800 feet above sea level, expect to see balls flying huge distances off the tees.
Chapultepec has played host to World Golf Championships events on four occasions. Joaquin Niemann won the inaugural LIV Golf event in Mexico last year.
Trump National DC, USA - May 7-10
LIV Golf is back on the banks of the Potomac in the nation’s capital. The Championship Course is a Tom Fazio design and was opened for play following Fazio’s remodelling in 2015.
US President Donald Trump was on the first tee alongside Bryson DeChambeau at last year’s Ryder Cup, and it would come as no surprise were he to be in attendance at his own club in May.
Niemann is the defending champion, albeit when the event was held at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in 2025.
Real Club Valderrama, Spain - June 4-7
One of the most storied courses in European golf, Valderrama has witnessed epic moments in the sport - notably the 1997 Ryder Cup as Seve Ballesteros captained Europe to a 14.5-13.5 victory over the USA.
Talor Gooch will be on hand to defend the title he won in 2025.
Bayou Oaks at City Park, USA - June 25-28
New territory for LIV, as the New Orleans venue plays host for the first time. Dating back to 1902, City Park suffered major damage due to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Renowned architect Rees Jones redesigned the layout and the South Course was opened for play again in 2017.
JCB Golf and Country Club, England - July 23-26
The Rocester track will be playing host to LIV Golf for the third year in a row in 2026.
Global construction company JCB decided to build a golf course on the grounds of its headquarters, and Robin Hiseman produced a spectacular 18 holes that opened for play in 2018. Joaquin Niemann will be on hand to defend the title he won in 2025.
Trump National Bedminster, USA - Aug. 6-9
The Ryder Cup at Bethpage was loud, and expect something similar from another impressive New York layout.
The Big Apple was not on the roster 12 months ago, but players experienced the venue owned by the US President in 2023 - with Cameron Smith running out a convincing winner.
The Club at Chatham Hills, USA - Aug. 20-23
The individual champion will be crowned at LIV Golf Indianapolis. The 2024 and 2025 individual titles went down to the wire, and the battle will be on to unship Jon Rahm.
Chatham Hills was designed by legendary architect Pete Dye. The architect and his wife hit the ceremonial opening tee shots in 2014.
The Cardinal at Saint John’s, USA - Aug. 27-30
The culmination of the team championship will be played out at the Michigan course once again. It took a play-off for Legion XIII to get the better of Crushers GC in 2025.
A relatively new venue, it was designed by Raymond Hearn and put into play in 2024. There are a host of risk-reward holes on the Cardinal, and it is an ideal venue for match play.
Title contenders
Bryson DeChambeau
The two-time major champion is one of the leading lights of LIV Golf, with his front-foot style of play ideally suited to how the league operates.
'Loud' springs to mind when you think of DeChambeau, and the raucous nature of many of the venues will not faze the 32-year-old in the slightest.
He secured third place in 2025, with one win to his name, and he will surely be in the mix again.
Jon Rahm
Rahm is in the hunt for a hat-trick of individual titles after tasting glory in 2024 and 2025.
Consistency was the key factor behind Rahm’s success in 2025, as he took home the top individual award despite failing to win an event.
His worst performance was a T11 in Dallas, but four second places helped him fend off Joaquin Niemann - and he will be one of the favourites in 2026.
Joaquin Niemann
Niemann won five times in 2025, but it was feast or famine for the Chilean and that lack of consistency is what cost him in the end.
The 27-year-old has been one of the most-improved players in golf and has been tipped to push on and make a bid for a major in the coming years.
Team title favourites
Rahm’s Legion XIII are a strong fancy to defend the crown they won in 2025. It is easy to make a case for them being the strongest team in LIV, as Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton are elite-level operators.
Add in young, hungry rising stars in Tom McKibbin and Caleb Surratt, and it is a quartet well set to pick up big points on a consistent basis.
McKibbin's good form continued in the off season, as he took home the Hong Kong Open, and secured his place at the Masters and Open in the process.
His confidence is sure to be high heading into the new season, while Surratt was the world No. 1 amateur before turning pro, and he will be looking to build on his 33rd-placed finish in 2025.
Player to watch
Anthony Kim is unlikely to be challenging for the individual title, but he will be box-office viewing all the same.
A generational talent, Kim won three times on the PGA Tour between 2008 and 2010, and helped the USA to a Ryder Cup win in 2008.
Having been tipped for stardom, Kim suffered a serious injury in 2012 and disappeared from golf. Year after year, rumours of a return failed to turn into anything tangible - until he was lured out of retirement to compete in LIV.
'I didn't want to play' - Kim opens up on struggles after sealing LIV Golf place
Video credit: SNTV
After being away from the game for so long, it was not a spectacular return as in his first tournament he finished 16-over par, 33 shots behind the winner.
Kim finished in the relegation zone in 2025, and it was felt his career in LIV was over but he won a wildcard spot at LIV Golf League Promotions and will be teeing it up again in 2026.
There will almost certainly be wides off the tee and duffs, but there will be darts fired at pins and monster putts holed. Expect the unexpected, and expect to be entertained.
What they said:
Anthony Kim, on winning his place back:
"This is just the first step, but I'm glad I earned my spot so everybody could quit talking s***. But I'll be back soon and I'll be back winning golf tournaments soon."
"It’s been a long year. I’ve never had three months off, but I’m looking forward to it. Other athletes have it, and we’ll see.
"I’m lucky to be able to go home now, have a pre-season, be a father, be with my family, and well, if I see that it’s too much, then maybe I won’t do it next year, but I’m looking forward to it."
Bryson DeChambeau, on goals for 2026:
"Keeping this core together for 2026 positions us to build on the momentum we carried out of 2025.
"This group knows what it takes to win; we lifted the trophy in 2023 and finished second last season, and that experience fuels our drive to compete at the top week in and week out."
Dustin Johnson, on playing at the majors:
"Good golf will take care of that. If I play well starting the beginning of the year, have a good Masters, things like that, I’ll get into all the majors.
"I feel like I’ve got a good relationship with [the majors]. Obviously my game, if I’m playing well enough, then I think they will want me to play them."
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Watch and stream the 2026 LIV Golf season live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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