LIV Golf make big changes for 2025 – but there’s a problem

The powerbrokers at LIV Golf have reason to be excited for 2025. 

While the benefactors of the breakaway league, the Saudi Public Investment Fund, continues to negotiate a prolonged peace deal with the PGA and DP World Tours, the circuit is pushing ahead with its plans for the new season.

That includes new venues, new signings and revamped teams.

On Wednesday, Greg Norman’s circuit revealed it will break new ground in 2025 by staging an event in South Korea for the very first time. The LIV train will roll into the Jack Nicklaus Club outside Seoul in May, the same venue that hosted this year’s Genesis Championship on the DP World Tour.

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There will also be trips back to Adelaide, Hong Kong and Singapore, while Norman also revealed that a brand new event has been rubber stamped for Indianapolis next August.

And with so much friction and uncertainty, Norman’s league ploughs on. Ten events have been confirmed for 2025 with more announcements expected in the coming days.

“LIV Golf is growing across the globe in new and returning markets, and our 2025 schedule is a testament to that,” Norman said. “Bringing LIV Golf to South Korea is another significant milestone as we continue to expand throughout Asia, and our inaugural event in Indy will be a perfect match for a community steeped in sports history and tradition.”

Amidst all the changes, however, the biggest problem with the schedule is the part that has stayed the same.

One of LIV’s biggest coups since its inception was pinching Valderrama, the famous Ryder Cup venue on the Costa del Sol, from the DP World Tour. Sergio Garcia, who describes Valderrama as his favourite place to play golf, memorably won there on his home track this season.

Ironically, however, the revered Andalucia layout is also causing LIV one of its biggest headaches.

In 2025, the tournament will be staged on July 11-13, just one week before The Open Championship in Northern Ireland. The issue for LIV players is that while it is undoubtedly a world-class setup, Valderrama is a completely polarising test to the harsh links of Royal Portrush.

Some LIV players were irked by the same issue at this year’s Open at Royal Troon, where none of the players on Norman’s roster managed to truly contend without links preparation.

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“It was really hot, the ball was going a long way up in altitude, and then getting on to links where it’s quite cold and windy, it’s probably not the best prep,” 2022 Claret Jug winner Cam Smith conceded last month. “It’s definitely something that we spoke about. They (LIV) are well aware of that.”

Jon Rahm, albeit the best performing player at Troon with a tie for seventh, shared similar concerns.

“There’s so much that goes into adjusting to links golf; getting used to the greens and the ball reacting on the ground,” the Spaniard told Golf Digest in July.

“I didn’t think about it until after, but it’s undeniable how much it helps to play a links golf course the week before the Open.”

For the best players on the PGA Tour, meanwhile, the preparation couldn’t get much better. This year’s Champion Golfer Xander Schauffele spent his build-up battling on the East Lothian links of the Renaissance Club at the Genesis Scottish Open. That has been a running theme for recent Claret Jug winners.

So while golf’s talent pool remains fractured, it could well be in LIV’s best interests to seek out a links venue in July 2026. “Obviously, LIV management have contracts in place with some venues and plans in the future,” Rahm admitted. “It’s not as easy as it sounds to just say, ‘Well, let’s do this.’

Where a LIV links event would take place in 2026 remains to be seen, but it does remain a major sticking point ahead of arguably the biggest week of the year.

“I love Ireland,” Rahm said when asked about possible hosts. “I’ve always felt really welcome in Ireland. It feels like home and some of the most fun rounds of golf I’ve ever played are there and there are some great venues.

“So yeah, if there was an opportunity for LIV Golf to play in Ireland it would be absolutely fantastic.”

For the time being, however, Rahm and LIV’s fellow big hitters could well be at an Open disadvantage.

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.