TV Ratings Explain Why PGA Tour Can Scoff at LIV Golf Offer

The PGA Tour recently reportedly turned down a request from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which could affect the success of the ongoing negotiations. It is clear that the American-based circuit feels strong in its position, and TV viewership may give an indication as to why.

NBC Sports reported that viewership of its PGA Tour telecasts has continued to grow over the past six tournaments. The largest percentage increase came from the Cognizant Classic, which was up 34% from Saturday to Sunday and 49% during the final round when Joe Highsmith won.

However, The PLAYERS Championship was the event with the highest total viewership of the stretch, with 3.2 million viewers from Saturday to Sunday and 3.8 million during the final round. Even with those high numbers, the TPC Sawgrass event grew 2% and 4%, respectively.

This report is based on both Golf Channel and Peacock streaming service viewership.

The viewership growth trend is supported by data from CBS. That network’s viewership for Rory McIlroy’s win at Pebble Beach was the event’s largest since 2021, and it grew 5% for Ludvig Aberg’s win at the Genesis Invitational.

This is data that undoubtedly speaks for the PGA Tour product. Coupled with TGL’s better-than-expected numbers on ESPN, averaging more than 500,000 viewers per telecast, it makes sense to talk about a rebound in viewership.

LIV Golf, on the other hand, has yet to break five figures in viewership this season. The league’s CEO, Scott O’Neil, assured that the Riyadh event attracted 2.5 million viewers, although he did not reveal the source of this figure.

Whether for this reason, or for another, or for the sum of several, everything seems to indicate that the PGA Tour does not feel it needs to make many concessions in its negotiations with the PIF.

This Guardian reported claims that the PIF requested the permanence of LIV Golf in the world golf ecosystem and a seat for Yasir Al-Rumayyan on the PGA Tour board as co-chairman. These two conditions would bring the negotiations to a successful conclusion and with it the $1.5 billion investment in the American-based circuit.

However, the PGA Tour found neither of these requests to be acceptable. According to the report, the Tour believes that the continuation of LIV Golf in its current form and system would not contribute to the reunification of men’s professional golf.

Likewise, they do not believe that Al-Rumayyan should have such a high profile on the PGA Tour given his leadership of the organization that has promoted and financially supported LIV Golf from its inception to the present.

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