The 2025 season concludes with a review of the most pivotal decisions and moments in professional golf.
Although golf is often marked by many constants, 2025 brought several groundbreaking decisions, especially within the LIV Golf League. Some of LIV Golf’s choices indicated a rapprochement with established tours. Changes also emerged within the PGA Tour and the LPGA Tour.
LIV Golf’s Strategic and Leadership Reshuffle
In January, a leadership shift occurred at LIV Golf, with American Scott O’Neil taking over as CEO from Greg Norman, who initially planned an advisory role but stepped away in September. O’Neil, an experienced sports executive, aims to lead LIV Golf into a new phase focused on innovation and outreach, embracing a more conciliatory approach towards other golf leagues and exploring potential cooperation with the Majors, the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) and the PGA Tour.
In February, R&A and USGA introduced new qualification opportunities for LIV players in the Open Championship and US Open majors. April saw signs of LIV edging closer to the OWGR system, key for major qualifications, highlighted by a meeting at Augusta National Golf Club between O’Neil and OWGR chairman Trevor Immelman—the first such contact since LIV’s OWGR application was denied, which still limits LIV players’ major participation.
Implications of Fines, Format, and Tour Relations
LIV Golf’s decision to cease fines against players competing in DP World Tour events from 2026 onward will impact golf globally. The DP World Tour’s regulations, upheld legally, penalize players entering rival events without approval. This year, LIV players Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton played the Ryder Cup and DP World Tour events without fines due to ongoing appeals. Post-2025, players wishing to remain DP World Tour members—vital for future Ryder Cup eligibility—must bear their own fines, potentially weakening the European team at the 2027 Ryder Cup in Ireland.
The most significant change for LIV Golf in 2025 is expanding tournament play from three to four days starting in 2026, moving from a 54-hole to a 72-hole format aligned with PGA and DP World Tours. Historically, LIV tournaments have been 54 holes to disrupt golf traditions, reflected even in their name ‘LIV’ representing 54 in Roman numerals.
Shifts at PGA and LPGA Tours, and the Growing Tomorrow Golf League
In 2025, the PGA Tour appointed Brian Rolapp, a top NFL executive, as its new CEO, succeeding Commissioner Jay Monahan who will step down at the end of 2026. This structural change introduces a CEO role alongside the Policy Board leadership. Rolapp is expected to steer PGA Tour Enterprises, focusing