Three events into the 2026 LIV Golf League season, and one name keeps appearing at the top of the leaderboard: Bryson DeChambeau. The self-styled “scientist of golf” has won two of the first three individual titles, establishing himself as the most dominant force in LIV Golf’s revamped fifth season — a season that has brought significant changes to the tour’s format and roster.
A New Format, Same DeChambeau Dominance
The biggest change to LIV Golf in 2026 is one that traditionalists had long demanded: tournaments are now 72 holes instead of the 54-hole format that served as the tour’s Roman-numeral namesake. The shift to four rounds brings LIV events more in line with PGA Tour and DP World Tour standards, and it was expected to reward consistency and endurance over the pure explosiveness that shorter events tend to favor.
DeChambeau has proven that he can thrive under either format. His victories in Singapore and South Africa demonstrated the kind of sustained excellence that four-round golf demands, while Jon Rahm’s win in Hong Kong showed that the 4Aces GC and Crushers GC are the teams to beat in the early going.
Notable Departures Reshape the Field
The 2026 season has also been shaped by high-profile departures. Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed both left LIV Golf prior to the season to begin the process of rejoining the PGA Tour. Their exits remove two major names from the LIV roster but also reflect the evolving landscape of professional golf, where the boundaries between the rival tours may be beginning to soften.
The departures of Koepka and Reed haven’t dimmed the competitive quality of the LIV fields, however. The 57-player, no-cut format continues to attract a deep roster of talent, and the team competition — which runs alongside individual play — adds a strategic layer that is unique among professional golf tours.
The Team Battle Heats Up
The team championship remains one of LIV Golf’s most distinctive features, and the early-season results suggest a two-horse race developing between Rahm’s 4Aces GC and DeChambeau’s Crushers GC. Both squads have shown the depth and consistency needed to compete across the full season, with the team championship event at season’s end carrying significant prize money and prestige.
What the Rest of the Season Holds
With more than a dozen events still remaining on the 2026 calendar, the season is far from decided. But DeChambeau’s early form has set a standard that the rest of the field will need to match. The move to 72 holes was supposed to level the playing field — instead, it may have given one of golf’s most obsessively prepared players an even greater advantage.
For golf fans following both tours, the 2026 LIV Golf season is shaping up to be one of the most compelling yet. With format changes, roster shakeups, and a dominant force in DeChambeau driving the narrative, there is plenty to watch as the season unfolds across some of the world’s most spectacular golf venues.
