How Does the LIV Golf Team Championship Format Work?
With the singles season at an end, the LIV Golf Team Championship finale is upon us and features a format unlike anything golf fans are used to in team events like the Ryder Cup or the Presidents Cup.
For those new to the Saudi-backed series, the team format is nothing new, as every event features a four-man team element in addition to the singles competition. The 12 teams at each tournament are awarded points based on their overall finish during the regular season to determine seeding for the LIV Golf Team Championship.
And, again, this is unlike anything we’re used to as it features both stroke play and match play. So let’s break this down, shall we?
How the LIV Golf Team Championship works
Quarterfinals
The quarterfinal round of the LIV Golf Team Championship features just eight teams as the squads seeded 1-4 receive a bye.
The teams seeded 5-12 will square off in four head-to-head match-play competitions. The kicker here is that it’s not a simple 5 vs. 12, 6 vs. 11 kind of a thing, at least not automatically.
To start, the No. 5 seed is allowed to select its quarterfinal opponent and could very well pick the No. 6 seed if it so chooses. But if the No. 5 chooses anyone else, the No. 6 seed gets the next pick, and so on and so forth. I guess the simplest way to say it is that the highest-ranked teams get to choose who they play.
Once matchups are set, the two teams will play three matches: two singles matches and one 2-on-2 alternate-shot match. No match can end in a tie, and the team who wins twice moves on.
Semifinals
In the semifinals, the quarterfinal winners battle the top four seeds, with the highest-ranked teams again getting to select their opponent for the day.
The format for Day 2 remains the same: two singles matches and one 2-on-2 alternate-shot match. Once again, matches continue until a winner emerges, and the four teams to win twice or more advance to Sunday’s final round.
Championship
The final round of the LIV Golf Team Championship moves to stroke play as the 16 players from the four teams will tee off in twosomes, with team captains playing only with one another.
All four scores from each team count toward the squad’s overall count, and the team with the lowest cumulative score wins the title and the $16 million payout that comes with it, which is split equally.
But seeing as this is LIV Golf, you know every single golfer is walking away with some cash. Here’s how the total $50 million purse is distributed.
| Place | Team Payout | Individual Payout |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $16,000,000 | $4,000,000 |
| 2 | $8,000,000 | $2,000,000 |
| 3 | $6,000,000 | $1,500,000 |
| 4 | $4,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| 5 | $3,000,000 | $750,000 |
| 6 | $3,000,000 | $750,000 |
| 7 | $3,000,000 | $750,000 |
| 8 | $3,000,000 | $750,000 |
| 9 | $1,000,000 | $250,000 |
| 10 | $1,000,000 | $250,000 |
| 11 | $1,000,000 | $250,000 |
| 12 | $1,000,000 | $250,000 |
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