PGA Tour top official makes thoughts known on concerns around golf’s TV viewership: "The sky was never falling"

PGA Tour CMO Andy Weitz appeared in the recent episode of Dan on Golf, in which he discussed the state of the Tour. The American golf series started its 2025 season in January and its viewership often makes the headlines.

In the latest episode of Dan on Golf uploaded on YouTube on March 10, host Dan Rapaport and PGA Tour official Andy Weitz talked about the ratings of the circuit's events and its role in determining the success of the circuit. In the interview, Weitz shared stats on the viewership of the PGA Tour events while acknowledging that it depends on many factors.

Speaking of the Tour events' ratings, Weitz said (at 35:34):

"This year over the first two months, we're up 17%, since Farmers Insurance Open, we started our network season, a 17% average audience, that's phenomenal. We're up 11% in peak audience that's over 4.1 million viewers in the final rounds in CBS. We're up 10% in markets internationally, so that's going in the right direction. I would say the sky was never falling."

"I think ratings are driven by a lot of things we don't control, like weather and what the field looks like on Saturday and Sunday, and a series of things that could impact where you fall on the schedule, some people say during the presidential election season more people go to cable news, some people say if you end up against certain sports like the Olympics last summer, so there are all kinds of things right," he added.

Last week, the PGA Tour concluded its Arnold Palmer Invitational 2025, where Russell Henley registered a win in the game. The players also played at the Puerto Rico Open 2025, a regular PGA Tour event, with rookie golfer Karl Vilips emerging victorious.

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PGA Tour official talks about the "media deal"

In the aforementioned episode of Dan on Golf, Andy Weitz also reflected on the media deal of the PGA Tour. He acknowledged the circuit's deal with big media houses such as CBS, NBC, and ESPN+.

Speaking of the media deal, the PGA Tour official said (33:52):

"We have stalwart great partners, longstanding partners, CBS, NBC and the ESPN+ on the streaming side. We're doing great things within the definition of our current relationships. Look at how we've refined our media relations to make it easier for creators to work with players on-site."

While the PGA Tour has been working to strengthen its position with media deals, they are also in talks about a potential merger deal with LIV Golf. In June 2023, Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan announced a framework agreement with the Saudi League, and they have been in talks about a potential merger.

Last month, in February, the Tour official had a meeting with US President Donald Trump to discuss the negotiations further.