Rory McIlroy’s worst fears realised as PGA Tour feels absence of LIV Golf stars
Golf television viewing figures have nosedived in 2024 and Rory McIlroy warned earlier this year that the sport is losing its audience due to LIV Golf and the PGA Tour feud.
Rory McIlroy’s earlier comments about dwindling golf TV viewership have been validated as recent figures show a significant drop.
The Northern Irishman had previously voiced his concerns about the decreasing number of spectators. The world of golf has seen a split in recent years, following the establishment of LIV Golf, which was launched in October 2021.
Initially, the PGA Tour suspended players who joined LIV Golf, but a year later, they signed an agreement with the Saudi-backed circuit.
As per the Sports Business Journal, the PGA Tour averaged 2.2 million viewers for its Sunday broadcasts in 2024 when Majors were excluded. This represents a 19 per cent decrease from the 2.7 million viewers that tuned in during the same slot in 2023.
On Saturdays, the Tour attracted 1.5 million viewers, marking a 17 per cent drop from the 1.8 million people who watched last year. Several factors contributed to the decline in viewership, including clashes with NFL coverage and poor weather conditions affecting several tournaments.
However, another possible reason could be the absence of big names like Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson from the PGA Tour due to their association with LIV Golf. Additionally, fans may be growing weary of the ongoing dispute between the two Tours.
McIlroy, who formerly served on the PGA Tour’s policy board before stepping down in November 2023, had addressed the issue of golf viewing figures earlier this year.
The golf legend shared his insights: “My idea is that the numbers on LIV are not very high according to the audience which is watching it. I just feel with the fighting and everything that has taken place over the past couple years, people are just getting really tired of it and it is steering people away from men’s professional golf, and that is not good for the sport, or anyone.
I think it’s going to be super intriguing to watch it how the four Major championships fare or even three because, you know what, let’s put Augusta in a different planet, I think it does exist in its own sphere.
It will be really interesting to see how these Major championship numbers shape up against the other bigger events because there is a case to be made if the numbers are better and you have all the best players in the world playing, then there is a case for saying, ‘Okay, we need to get this thing back together’.
“But on the flip side, if the numbers aren’t as good, it’s an argument to still say we need to put everyone back together because people are losing interest in the game even if they don’t want to tune in to the four Major championships.”
Like that to me is not… That’s where I said like things need a correction and things are unsustainable.”
