LIV Golf makes huge change to format to allow more new players to take part

LIV Golf has expanded its playing field after signing Jon Rahm from the PGA Tour, allowing the Masters champion to become the team’s new captain for the 2024 season.

In addition to the four strong teams in the competition, LIV Golf is further expanding the field for the 2024 season by inviting two unsigned players to each event.
A new team joins the team, Legion XIII, after being led by PGA Tour player John Rahm. The total number of teams will increase to 13, expanding the field from 48 and the number of players to 52 in the first two years.
The latest changes expand the field to 54, with six more athletes competing in all 14 events on the schedule, which begins in just two weeks in Mayakoba, Mexico. One of the unsigned players is an invite-only wild card.

The top seed in the Asian Tour International Series is expected to take another unsigned spot. Andy Ogletree is the reigning series champion, and now the American is competing at LIV again this year.
Ben Campbell, David Puig, Kieran Vincent, Takumi Kanaya and Wade Ormsby combined to round out Ogletree’s trio of top-six finishes last season. The International Series ranking is based on prize money earned, and professional players invited to LIV events can receive prize money based on their performance.
They also receive LIV Individual Ranking points, but not official World Golf Ranking points like the Asian Tour. That change is expected to take effect in time for next month’s inauguration ceremony.

However, the details of the changes are still being discussed, according to Bunker Report, and LIV officials are tight-lipped about the details. They added that sponsors or tournaments can decide which wildcard players not to sign.
Open gun starts will also remain the same with 2-ball and 3-ball starting simultaneously, increasing from 16 to 18 to accommodate the increased field size. Rahm is not a fan of the format.
“[Starting] a gun in three days is not a golf tournament for me,” he said in the summer of 2022. Before the start of the race, the Spaniard spoke optimistically about the upcoming format changes.