Brennan: The magic of the Masters can’t overshadow fact that men’s golf is in some trouble
AUGUSTA, Ga. — The game of men’s golf marks time from one year to the next when Augusta National opens its doors for another Masters. This is a revered tournament, the most famous on earth, but it’s also something more.
“It serves as a barometer, a yearly event that informs us about the current state of men’s golf.
How is Tiger Woods performing? Is Rory McIlroy prepared to secure a victory this time? And, most importantly, what is the status of the sport during these uncertain times, as golf continues to isolate itself from its fans due to the ongoing competition between the PGA Tour and LIV?”
Golf is facing significant challenges as the Masters tournament kicks off on Thursday. The days of Tiger Woods’ greatness are in the past, leaving only hope among fans for his success in the tournament.
There is hope that Tiger can qualify for the weekend rounds and move up the leaderboard with the support of his fans. Television viewership has decreased, with the Players’ Championship experiencing a 15 percent drop compared to the previous year.
It is easy to attribute this decline to a general trend across all sports, but that is not accurate, as evidenced by the recent high viewership during March Madness.
The players themselves are concerned, even though some of the biggest worry-warts are the ones who bolted their multi-million-dollar lives for LIV’s Saudi blood money.
Bryson DeChambeau for example.
“It’s great to have the majors where we come together, but we want to be competing, at least I want to be competing every week, with all of the best players in the world for sure,” said the man who walked away from playing against the best players in the world to go to a no-cut, exhibition style shell of a golf tour. “And it needs to happen fast. It’s not a two-year thing. Like it needs to happen quicker rather than later just for the good of the sport. Too many people are losing interest.”
There’s a sentence, as problematic as it is honest, that you don’t see very often from a pro athlete in a big-time sport: “Too many people are losing interest.” Of course, they are losing interest precisely because of the actions of people like the guy who uttered the quote.
Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National, is understandably worried as he watches the sport he loves devolve into something it was never meant to be.
I will admit that this year, there has been a decrease in golf viewership on traditional television while other sports have seen an increase,” he mentioned on Wednesday. “You can interpret this information as you wish. The lack of frequent gatherings of the top players in the world is not beneficial. I am unsure if this has a direct impact, but I believe it would be advantageous if they met more frequently.” One of the appealing aspects of golf has always been the way in which players behave on the course.
Golfers are responsible for enforcing penalties on themselves, a characteristic that is distinctive and commendable, as it demonstrates a level of honesty.
Remember this as we examine the defense of Masters champion Jon Rahm. During the turmoil of golf’s civil war in 2022, Rahm firmly stated that he had no intention of joining LIV.
“Money is great, but when (his wife) Kelley and I started talking about it, and we’re like, Will our lifestyle change if I got $400 million? No, it will not change one bit,” Rahm said.
“Truth be told, I could retire right now with what I’ve made and live a very happy life and not play golf again. So I’ve never really played the game of golf for monetary reasons. I play for the love of the game, and I want to play against the best in the world. I’ve always been interested in history and legacy, and right now the PGA Tour has that.”
In December 2023, he left the PGA Tour for LIV.
Rahm will get his applause and cheers here this week, but he will never be able to recapture his honor. It’s so fitting in golf’s troubled times: the man who lied and sold out for money is the reigning Masters champion.
