LIV Golf spent four seasons promoting 54 holes as a core part of its identity. On Friday in Riyadh, it revealed a new side as the third round concluded with a leaderboard that didn’t decide anything yet. This is the league’s first regular-season event staged over 72 holes, a notable change for 2026.
After three rounds at Riyadh Golf Club, new LIV player Elvis Smylie and original league member Peter Uihlein are tied at 16-under 200, with Talor Gooch a shot back and 19 players within six of the lead.
Under LIV’s old format, Smylie and Uihlein would’ve been headed to a playoff. Instead, they get 18 more holes.
“Yeah, thanks for bringing that up,” Uihlein said, smiling after his 6-under-par 66. “I feel like 72 holes fits me a little better. If you would have told me at the beginning of the week, ‘Hey, you’d be tied for the lead after 54 and you have a chance to win on Sunday,’ that’s where you’d want to be. So I’d take it.”
Smylie is making his first start with Ripper GC and doesn’t have any LIV history with the 54-hole rhythm. He played his way into a tie for the lead with a bogey-free 7-under 65.
“I want to prove my worth in this league,” Smylie said, “and I want to establish myself as one of the best guys in this league, and the best way to do that is by going out and making a statement this week, and that’s what I’m doing a really good job with so far.”
In the team competition, Torque GC moved to 46-under, two clear of Smash GC after matching 65s from Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz. Smash GC is also trying to deliver a win in Gooch’s first event as captain, while Ripper GC sits one shot further back in third.
Ancer, who knows what it’s like to win in the shorter version of LIV, believes the longer tournaments can favor consistent golfers.
“I feel like 54 holes was good enough to figure out who’s playing the best golf. You just feel like it’s a little bit more of a sprint, have a little bit less time for you to make mistakes and come back from them,” Ancer said. “But then playing 72 holes, you feel like if you’re a steady player, that would maybe help you rise to the top of the leaderboard.”
That’s the new LIV reality. The league has added a fourth round. Now it’s about seeing who can handle it.
–Field Level Media
