Every score counts, every round: New format for 2025
Feb 5, 2025 - 12:15 PMWritten by: Mike McAllister
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – There’s no hiding now.
For the first time in LIV Golf’s history, every player’s score in every round will count toward his team’s total score in the team competition at each regular season tournament.
The new format begins with the 2025 season opener at LIV Golf Riyadh and continues the evolution and refinement of LIV Golf’s unique and compelling team competition.
Said RangeGoats GC Captain Bubba Watson: “It does make volatility bigger, crazier. Nobody can hide. You’re going to have to be committed on every hole, every shot.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the change:
POTENTIAL RAMIFICATIONS
INCREASED VOLATILITY. As Watson noted above, the first two rounds should now provide the wild shifts on the leaderboard that we’ve seen in the final round since all four scores have counted. “It’s going to add a little bit more pressure,” said Ripper GC’s Marc Leishman. “And we’re going to have that extra volatility early in the week, not just on Sunday.
HIGH SCORES A KILLER. In previous years, any player who had a bad day during the first two rounds could hope to be bailed out by his three teammates. Not anymore. Shooting 77 or worse on Friday or Saturday will now be just as crippling to the team as a 77 on Sunday. Last year, there were 31 non-counting scores of 77 or worse. Grinding to turn those into 74s or 75s will be vital. “There’s no more looking at the scoreboard and thinking, I’m OK, my team’s playing well. That definitely changes things,” said Stinger GC Captain Louis Oosthuizen.
DEPTH AT A PREMIUM. The teams with the strongest back-end of the roster should benefit the most. The best No. 4 players will arguably be more valuable from a team standpoint as top-end No. 1s. That’s why a team like Crushers GC, who were the best-scoring team in all four rounds last year, are embracing the change. “If you look historically, if every score counted for every round, we’d be very successful,” said Anirban Lahiri. “Not that we haven’t been. We have been successful, but we would’ve been more successful.”
NEW GUYS UNDER PRESSURE. There are six new full-time players this season – four of those are age 25 or younger. In stepping up a significant level to world-class competition, they’ll have to produce immediately instead of easing into the LIV Golf environment.
New year, new format 👀
— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) February 5, 2025
Get the lowdown on the season ahead 📲#LIVGolfRiyadh pic.twitter.com/Gg7c6rXKDG
COUNTING SCORE EVOLUTION
The counting score format has gone through multiple adjustments since the birth of LIV Golf in 2022.
-
2022 London (inaugural event): Two scores count in each of Rds. 1-2. Three scores count in Rd. 3
-
2022 Bangkok (6th event): Three scores now count in each of Rds. 1-2
-
2024 (start of season): Four scores now count in Rd. 3
-
2025 (start of season): Four scores now count in all rounds
Note: The final stroke-play round of the season-ending Team Championship has always counted all four scores.
NEW SUBSTITUTION POLICY
Since all four scores count each round, adjustments have been made to the substitution policy.
If a player withdraws during the playing of a round, his team may select one of the available reserve players to play the remainder of the round/tournament.
- If a player withdraws between the play of two holes, the reserve will begin play on the following hole.
- If a player withdraws while playing a hole, the reserve will put his ball in play at the same spot as the original ball and complete the hole.
If a player starts a tournament but is forced to withdraw while on the course, that player can return to compete for his team at the start of any remaining rounds. But he will only compete to contribute a team score, not in the individual competition.
Note: No substitute player is permitted to replace a disqualified player. His team will also be disqualified.
The course is LIT! 🔥 #LIVGolfRiyadh pic.twitter.com/gBcM9vi1uo
— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) February 3, 2025
2024 ALL SCORES COUNT RESULTS
Here’s how each team performed last season in the final round of the 13 regular-season tournaments as well as the final day of the Dallas Team Championship – all days in which all four scores counted.
2024 NON-COUNTING STROKE AVERAGES
In 2024, each team dismissed their highest score in each of the first two rounds of the 13 regular-season tournaments. Here are the scoring averages for each team’s non-counting rounds.
Of the top seven teams on that list, five have kept their rosters intact for 2025 – Crushers, Torque, Ripper, Stinger and Smash. Those are the teams that could benefit the most with the change. “I think it suits our team,” said Smash’s Graeme McDowell. “I think we’re deeper than most teams.”
IF ALL 4 SCORES COUNTED IN 2024
SEASON-LONG POINTS
The differences in the overall standings would’ve been minimal. The top three teams that received byes (Crushers, Legion XIII, Ripper) would still receive byes, only Ripper would be the No. 2 seed and Legion XIII the No. 3 seed. A few other teams’ seeds would change slightly, while five more teams maintain the same seed.
TOURNAMENTS
Six tournaments would have different winners, while another tournament would require a team playoff.
- Stinger would win Jeddah (not Crushers)
- Stinger would win Adelaide (and avoid playoff loss to Ripper)
- Cleeks and Smash would tie in Houston (instead, Cleeks won)
- Crushers would win Andalucía (and avoid playoff loss to Fireballs)
- Ripper would win UK (not Legion XIII)
- Ripper would win Greenbrier (not Smash)
- Fireballs would win Chicago (not Crushers)