Brooks Koepka’s season prompts Jon Rahm to call for LIV Golf rule adjustment

LIV Golf is in need of some big changes if they want to stay competitive, and Rahm is at the centre of that conversation.

He is reportedly advocating for a shift from the current 54-hole format to a more traditional 72-hole setup, and there is growing support behind the idea.

Koepka’s recent performances suggest the two-time major champion might be right.

The five-time major champion has played in six events with a halfway cut this year – including all four majors, plus the Irish Open and this week’s BMW PGA Championship. He has missed the cut in five of them, often by a significant margin.

Joaquin Niemann has also struggled under similar conditions. Out of five 72-hole events he has entered this year, he has missed two cuts and just scraped through another at Wentworth by one shot.

LIV Golf tournaments are limited to 54 holes, which may be contributing to player adjustment issues when stepping into longer formats. There are questions around whether this shorter setup is leading to complacency among some players.

In theory, fewer rounds should make it easier to win on LIV than elsewhere. The league cannot ignore their top names missing out on cuts without raising internal alarms.

LIV have plenty to gain by listening to Rahm and making a switch

If LIV wants to keep hold of their big names and attract new ones, they need a format that better prepares players for major championships around the world.

With several top players, including Koepka, nearing the end of their contracts, LIV could use all the credibility it can get right now.

Bryson DeChambeau has been the only one to regularly contend in the majors since leaving for the Saudi-backed league. Even though Koepka won the 2023 PGA Championship, his performances since then have raised eyebrows.

He is a fierce competitor, and he will quite simply hate the fact that he has missed so many cuts this season away from LIV Golf.

Rahm might be onto something, and after what has happened over the past year, Koepka could be thinking along similar lines.

A switch to 72-hole tournaments would not just help with world ranking points, it would also leave players better prepared for majors on every level.