Golf fans send clear message to Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau over PGA Tour-LIV fallout
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Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler's clash with Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau served up the second-lowest TV figures in the history of 'The Match' series, in damning warning to both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. McIlroy and Scheffler of the PGA Tour prevailed over LIV's Koepka and DeChambeau in Las Vegas, easing past their rivals in the for-TV matchplay event. The match was a highly anticipated one in the world of golf, providing a rare chance for the top players from both sides of the sport's recent fallout to go head-to-head on the course.
Despite the star-studded lineup, the event clearly failed to resonate with fans, with Sports Business Journal reporting that it pulled in just 625,000 across TNT and TBS in the United States. It continues the pattern of tumbling viewing numbers across men's professional golf as a whole, with both the PGA Tour and LIV struggling to draw in large audiences. The PGA Tour averaged 2.2 million Sunday viewers from their events outside of the majors in 2024, a 19 percent fall on the year prior.
LIV meanwhile saw an average of just 89,000 tune in to their individual season finale in Chicago in September on The CW Network, as Jon Rahm banked the year-long crown and and a £14.3 million ($18m) payout. The theme has been ongoing over the last two years, with the game left split in two.
Fans have seemingly switched off from the ongoing financial arms race between the two tours, kicked off following LIV's move onto the scene in June 2022. Heading into The Match on Monday, those involved had spoken openly about how they felt it was a chance for fans to see the sport come back together.
