"Numbers on LIV aren't great either” - Rory McIlroy says fans are losing interest in men’s professional golf, raises concern over ‘jarring’ TV ratings

Rory McIlroy recently reflected on the concerning decline in viewership of men's professional golf. The Northern Irish golfer acknowledged the decreased number of fans and expressed his belief that the ongoing legal battle between the PGA Tour and the Saudi circuit has contributed significantly.

McIlroy admitted that the numbers are not good with LIV as well. He emphasized that people are "getting fatigued" with the constant dynamic changes within professional golf.

Sharing his concerns, McIlroy stated (via Nuclr Golf):

“If you look at the TV ratings of the PGA Tour this year, they're down 20% across the board. That's a fifth. That's big. I would say the numbers on LIV aren't great either in terms of the people tuning in. I just think with the fighting and everything that's went on over the past couple years, people are just getting really fatigued of it, and it's turning people off men's professional golf. And that's not a good thing for anyone.”

Interestingly, LIV Golf and PGA Tour players will tee off together at next week's Masters, the first Major of the year. Despite concerns over viewership, all eyes are on the Masters 2024.

Majors are the only occasions when professional golfers, including those from LIV Golf, compete on the same field. Undoubtedly, they are the biggest events of the year and guarantee tremendous viewership. Even McIlroy is looking forward to seeing how viewership for major tournaments will fare.

Speaking of the Majors, McIlroy said (via Nuclr Golf):

"It's going to be really interesting to see how the four major championships do, or even the three because put Augusta aside, I think that sort of lives in its own world. It will be really interesting to see how the major championship numbers fare compared to the other bigger events because there's an argument to be made if the numbers are better and you've got all the best players in the world playing."

McIlroy has also commented in the recent past that the PGA Tour should follow a model like that of the NBA, where they build their brand around the top players in order to popularize their product.

The first Major of the year is scheduled to take place at the Augusta National Golf Club from April 11 to 14. The tournament features 13 LIV golfers this year.

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Rory McIlroy set to play at the Valero Texas Open ahead of the Masters

The Masters 2024 has been the talk of the town, with fans eagerly anticipating who will don the green jacket at Augusta National. However, ahead of this major event, PGA Tour players are scheduled to tee off this week at the Valero Texas Open 2024, and notably, Rory McIlroy has joined the field for this event.

The tournament is set to commence with its first round on Thursday, April 4, and will conclude on Sunday, April 7. It boasts a full-size PGA Tour player field, with McIlroy being the highest-ranked golfer participating this week.

Meanwhile, LIV Golf players also have their Miami event scheduled for this week before they join the Masters field next week. The tournament is slated to take place from April 5 to 7 at the Trump National Doral.