LIV Golf has made a number of changes this offseason, and will be a new-look tour in 2026.
Most of these changes have involved moving to a more traditional format to become eligible for Official World Golf Ranking points. They have changed from 52 to 72 holes, increased their field size, and increased the number of players who will be relegated from the tour this season.
But LIV isn’t done innovating. For the first time, their season opener in Saudi Arabia won’t be played under the desert sun, but under the spotlights at night.
It’s an interesting decision and one that will certainly draw the attention of the golfing world. But what do the players think about it? Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton gave their honest opinions about playing at night.
Tyrrell Hatton says some players have had issues with playing at night
The typically outspoken Hatton was asked what he thinks the key to playing at night is, and he revealed that some players have had the same problem.
He answered: “Hit and hope, like every other week. Well, we’ve got a couple of days to get adjusted to it. I think for the most part, everyone dealt with it pretty well last year.
“I know there was a few guys that had some issues with — they use black irons, so that created an issue for them.
“But I think for the majority of us, it wasn’t too much of a problem. Yeah, it’s just a case of getting used to the night golf, and we’ve got a couple of days to do that, and it’ll be good fun.”
When asked how he can prepare for night golf, the Englishman joked: “I guess I could turn the lights down in the studio at home. That would be the only chance I’ve got to do that. But I didn’t do that last week.”
It seems that Hatton is happy to crack on as normal!
Jon Rahm names the key issue with playing golf at night
Two-time major winner Rahm went into some more detail about the potential challenges of playing golf at night.
He said, “I wouldn’t say night golf is very accessible, but luckily, we have a golf course in Phoenix that does it. There’s a few night ranges. But Grass Clippings does have a lit-up par-3 course. We’ve played a league there, as well, and on Wednesdays, they have a pretty fun skins game, so it’s something that I’ve done in the past.
“But it’s hard because it doesn’t really translate. You’re not really hitting long irons. It’s mainly short. Teeing it up with driver, with what he just said, usually, most drivers it’s a darker face. If the light pole is behind you or to the right, those shadows creep over the ball.
“So there’s little nuances that you get used to fairly quickly, but the first time it’s a little bit of a surprise because if there’s shadows casting over the ball, it’s a dark shadow.
“The awareness of where the club face is related to the ball can be a little tricky, but once you get over that, it’s actually quite fun.”
When asked whether they would like to see more events played at night, Rahm and Hatton were unequivocal with their answer.
Hatton said, “For me personally, I’m happy it’s a one-off. It’s fun to experience it, and it creates something different, but yeah, I’m happy that it’s only once a season.
And Rahm added, “You need to be in the right place to make night golf work properly. To be able to design a course and then have the lights in the right way, because all the cables need to be on the ground, it’s not the easiest thing to do.
“I enjoy it, but I would start by saying if you were to have – one example being Adelaide next week, then you start having quite a few fans on the golf course at night, not everything can be lit, and I think it could become a liability eventually. I don’t know if you can really pull it off.”
So for now, it’s a nice change of pace that presents a new challenge for the golfers. But according to these Legion XIII teammates, less is more.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
