pga tour tv ratings by year

Golf fans shocked as latest LIV Golf vs PGA Tour TV ratings are revealed

Golf fans react as TV ratings are revealed from last weekend's LIV Golf Mayakoba and PGA Tour's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Golf fans have been reacting to the latest TV ratings following LIV Golf 's first event of the season at Mayakoba and the PGA Tour 's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which was reduced to a 54-hole tournament following a final-round washout.

With no live golf played on Sunday over on the PGA Tour, it left the door wide open for golf fans to head over to The CW Network should they so wish and view the final round of LIV Golf Mayakoba in Mexico. 

It was also a particularly strong leaderboard heading into the final round too, with Joaquin Niemann leading by two strokes over LIV Golf debutant and arguably the best player in the world, Jon Rahm . 

But despite everything aligning perfectly for LIV Golf in the final round, unfortunately its viewing figures on The CW Network were close to five times less to that of CBS Sports ' third-round coverage of the PGA Tour's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am , which ended up being the final round due to bad weather.

Wyndham Clark was crowned the winner after surging into the third-round read following a stunning 60 , which marked the lowest-ever round at famed Pebble Beach.

It was not the lowest round of the weekend, however, as Niemann fired a course-record 59 in the first round at Mayakoba. 

While Clark's round marked the lowest of his blossoming PGA Tour career, the 60 did not count as an official record at Pebble Beach as a result of preferred lies being in place. 

Niemann ended up defeating his former mentor Sergio Garcia at the fourth extra hole in darkness over at Mayakoba, while Rahm led his new Legion XIII to a four-stroke team victory despite throwing away the individual title when finding the penalty area with his tee shot down the 17th. 

PGA Tour trounces LIV Golf

According to official TV ratings from the weekend's action in the men's professional game, CBS had 1.951m viewers during Saturday's third round.

In comparison, LIV Golf's second-round action on Saturday drew 168,000 viewers on The CW Network but an improved 432,000 viewers on Sunday. 

Pebble Beach PGA (Saturday), CBS: 1.951m LIV Golf (Saturday), CW: 168K LIV Golf (Sunday), CW: 432K https://t.co/I7csAFZ3vK — Sports TV Ratings (@SportsTVRatings) February 6, 2024

What must be taken into consideration is the above numbers do not include streaming available on both the LIV Golf Plus App and the LIV Golf YouTube channel. 

While these figures have not been made official, LIV Golf's final round YouTube video has amassed 165,000 views. 

One big positive for LIV Golf is the fact its final-round coverage of the first event of the season on The CW Network was superior to that of its first event in 2023, also at Mayakoba, which had 291,000 viewers. 

So it's not all bad news for LIV Golf. 

Golf fans have been reacting to the latest TV ratings on LIV Golf and the PGA Tour over on social media, so we encourage you to head over to our GolfMagic post on both Facebook and Twitter and get involved in the debate. 

Some fans think its very unfair to compare the two Tours without knowing how many viewers came through the LIV Golf Plus App, while others believe LIV Golf will never reach PGA Tour TV ratings no matter how much money is pumped into the Saudi-backed circuit. 

Which tournament did you watch last weekend? Did you tune into the final round of LIV Golf Mayakoba? Share your thoughts and comments over on the GolfMagic social media channels. 

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Report: PGA Tour ratings increase for NBC, CBS and Golf Channel

Nbc racks up tad of 2.27m viewers across seven pga tour events this season..

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The PGA Tour’s viewership on US broadcasters NBC, Golf Channel and CBS has increased during the ongoing 2023 season, according to Sports Business Journal (SBJ) .

• Through seven events, viewership on NBC increased three per cent year-over-year (YoY) with a total audience delivery (TAD) of 2.27 million viewers
• The Honda Classic and WGC Dell Match Play on NBC were the most-watched in four years
• The Valspar Championship hit a five-year high, with 2.59 million viewers tuning in to NBC for the final round
• Golf Channel has seen a nine per cent YoY jump in its audience through 15 events, notching up a TAD of 519,000 viewers
• CBS has averaged 2.59 million viewers for four PGA Tour events, excluding the Masters, marking a four per cent jump YoY
• The average weekly digital visitors to the PGA Tour’s website rose by eight per cent YoY in Q1 2023, while the number of iOS downloads of the tour’s app were up 60 per cent 
• Video views across the tour’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube channels were up 31 per cent compared to last year
• ESPN reported that streaming of PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ was up “significantly” in Q1, adding that the Genesis Invitational and Players Championship were the most-watched PGA Tour events ever on ESPN+.

This season, the PGA Tour increased its prize funds and put more FedExCup points on offer for several new ‘designated’ events in response to the breakaway LIV Golf circuit. Viewership numbers for those events have seen strong increases over 2022.

SBJ notes that two of the PGA Tour’s tournaments scheduled against LIV Golf’s three events saw a decline in viewership. The Valspar Championship, however, grew its audience for the final round by five per cent, despite going up against LIV Tucson.

Coming next:

The viewership figures for the PGA Tour will be well-received by its broadcast partners. The numbers also come a little over a month on from the tour announcing a shakeup of its schedule that will see cuts scrapped and tournament formats more closely aligned with those on LIV Golf at certain events from the start of next year.

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Golf has a ratings problem, and the Masters could shine a light on why viewers are tuning out

Peter Malnati and his wife Alicia react as their son Hatcher hits on on the fifth hole during the par-3 contest at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club, Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Peter Malnati hits on the ninth hole during a practice round in preparation for the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Monday, April 8, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Jon Rahm, of Spain, walks with his son, Kepa, on the second hole during the par-3 contest at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Augusta, GA. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Peter Malnati sostiene el trofeo luego de ganar el campeonato de golf Valspar, el domingo 24 de marzo de 2024, en Innisbrook en Palm Harbor, Florida. (AP Foto/Chris O’Meara)

Brooks Koepka talks with his caddie on the driving range during a practice round in preparation for the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Monday, April 8, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Brooks Koepka hits on the on the second hole during a practice round in preparation for the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Jon Rahm, of Spain, watches his tee shot on the fourth hole during a practice round in preparation for the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Augusta, GA. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Lucas Glover’s son, Lucas Jr. greets fans on the fifth hole during the par-3 contest at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Augusta, GA. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Ryan Fox, of New Zealand, gestures towards his daughter Isobel on the fourth hole during the par-3 contest at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Tyrrell Hatton, of England, reacts on the 11th hole during a practice round in preparation for the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Augusta, GA. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Golf has a ratings problem.

The week-to-week grind of the PGA Tour has essentially become No Need To See TV, raising serious concerns about what it means for the future of the game.

Now comes the Masters , the first major championship of the year and traditionally a ratings behemoth.

If Augusta National produces its usual stellar numbers, it could be an unmistakable sign that the PGA Tour’s ongoing rift with the upstart LIV circuit is causing more and more casual viewers to tune out.

“It’s certainly one possibility,” Masters chairman Fred Ridley said Wednesday on the eve of the opening round. “Certainly the fact that the best players in the world are not convening very often is not helpful. Whether or not there’s a direct causal effect, I don’t know. But I think that it would be a lot better if they were together more often.”

LIV Golf, armed with the seemingly limitless resources of its Saudi backers, has doled out billions of dollars to lure some of the game’s best players away from the established PGA Tour — an impressive list that includes reigning Masters champion Jon Rahm and five-time major winner Brooks Koepka.

Even though the two sides reached a merger agreement 10 months ago, there is little sign that they are close to working out all the fine print. Which means the best players from each tour only get together a few weeks a year, leaving a pair of watered-down circuits for viewers to chose from the remainder of the year.

Increasingly, it would seem, the ratings show many have decided to tune out altogether.

— The final round of the PGA Tour’s Phoenix Open drew just 2.38 million viewers, a stunning 35% plunge from the previous year, according to Sports Media Watch .

— The Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill was watched by 2.29 million on its closing day, a 30% dip from 2023 and the tournament’s worst fourth-round number in seven years.

— A riveting finish at The Players Championship couldn’t move the needle, its average of 3.53 million viewers representing a 15% slippage from a year earlier. In fact, the ratings for all four rounds of the Players were down from their 2023 levels.

It’s not like all those lost viewers have simply switched the channel to LIV, which is seeking to spice up a staid ol’ sport with 54-hole tournaments, shotgun starts, loud music and a team competition within each event.

The upstart circuit — which so far has failed to land a major TV deal, leaving it far down the dial on The CW — barely registers in the ratings with viewership numbers generally in the low hundreds of thousands.

PGA Tour player Peter Malnati, who won the Valspar Championship three weeks ago, believes all the talk about money in the PGA-LIV showdown has turned off many fans.

“People are just sick of the narrative in golf being about, you know, contracts on LIV, purses on the tour,” he said. “They want to see sport, they want to see people who are the best in the world at what they do, do it at a high level and celebrate that, celebrate the athleticism, celebrate the achievement.”

Malnati said some of his fondest memories growing up were watching Michael Jordan lead the Chicago Bulls to an NBA championship and Tiger Woods’ record-setting victory at the 2000 U.S. Open.

“I didn’t care one iota what Jordan’s contract was,” Malnati said. “I didn’t care one iota what the winner’s check at that U.S. Open was.”

He surmises that nothing has changed with today’s fans.

“Obviously, this is a business, and to the top players who drive a lot of the value in this business, we’ve got to compensate them fairly,” Malnati said. “But I think we’re doing that above and beyond, and the narrative, the storylines, the conversation needs to come back to the product on the course and what we do.

“No kid dreamed when they were watching Jordan dreamed of having his salary,” he went on. “They didn’t care about that. They dreamed of being in that moment, hitting that shot. I think that’s what our fans care about, too, and that’s what they want to see.”

Of course, there’s another issue at work here. While no one doubts the skill of today’s top players, neither tour has a mesmerizing figure such as Jordan or Woods, someone who really moves the needle.

Scottie Scheffler may be the world’s top-ranked player, but he can walk down nearly any street in America without being recognized.

Compounding the issue, the first three months of the PGA Tour season have produced a string of nondescript winners , from Grayson Murray to Austin Eckroat to Stephan Jaeger . Some great storylines, to be sure, but more suited to the hard-core fan than the drop-in viewer.

This is Masters week, however, which has never had any trouble drawing eyeballs to the screen.

All the top players are at Augusta National, and millions will be watching when the green jacket is handed out Sunday evening.

By Monday, when the numbers are calculated, everyone should have a better idea just how much the PGA-LIV feud has contributed to the dwindling viewership all those other weeks.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

9 Golf Viewership Statistics That Drive The Industry

Updated:  Mar 06, 2024

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One of the world’s most-watched sports is golf. Despite the absence of screaming fans and action-packed scenes, this stroke of a play still manages to draw viewers across America and Europe.

The 2023 Masters peaked at approximately 15 million viewers between 7:00 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. EST, with an average of around 12.06 million viewers during the match.

Find out how golf viewership statistics change over time and why despite being a sport for the elite, it still maintains its vast fanbase attracting all age brackets.

Highlights of the Article

• ADT reached 423 million viewers in the APAC region broadcasting through 27 sports channels.
• LIV is up for a good start; its TV debut recorded average viewers of less than 300,000.
• 16.251 million combined total viewers tuned in to The Masters 2023 Finals.
• 15% of women watch golf sometimes or often as of mid-2022
• In 2022, LIV golf piqued the interest of 71% of people aged 18-34 .
• Mid- to high-income individuals make up 74% of golf viewers.
• PGA Tour 2023 saw a 31% increase in social media engagement.
• 2.9 viewer ratings in U.S. Open Finals 2022, a record low for U.S. Open since 1988.

How Many People Watch Golf?

Jon Rahm’s victory recorded 15.02 million viewers during the 2023 PGA Masters Tournament at Augusta. On average, there were 12 million people who watched the finals; this is a 19% bump in the 2022 Masters Finals, where Scottie Scheffler won.

The CW Network reported that the average number of viewers for the LIV Golf 2023 was under 300,000 . This is low compared to the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic finals broadcasted the same day on NBC, which averaged 2.38 million viewers.

The following section will give you insights into viewership statistics of golfing events. It will explain the factors driving these numbers and their significance to the tournament and the broadcasting networks.

Golf Viewership Statistic Worldwide

Golf is among the world’s most popular sports , with approximately 450 million fans. The sport is most prevalent in Europe, Asia and the Pacific, and the North American region.

Below are global stats on golf viewership to help you identify where the sport is most followed.

1. ADT 2022 broadcast reached 423 million viewers in the APAC region.

(Danang Leisure, AB Magazine)

Golf’s popularity in Asia is on the rise. Asian Development Tour has been held since 2010, only temporarily stopping during the pandemic. In 2022, ADT was expected to set 19 tournaments held in:

• Saudi Arabia
• United Arab Emirates (UAE)

It was expected that around 140 professional golfers would participate in the competition. The tour was broadcast on 27 local and international sports channels, reaching:

• 423 million viewers in the APAC region
• 380 million worldwide viewers.

One of the critical factors in the rise of the popularity of golf in the region is that Asian consumers start to turn to leisure activities as they get richer. The number of courses tripled in less than a decade in China alone.

2. The PGA Tour 2023 recorded over 1.7 million audiences more than LIV Golf.

(The Athletic)

LIV had its TV debut this year. In its second season, held at Mayakoba, almost 300,000 watched the tournament on CW. That amount is just a seventh of viewers of the weekend broadcast of the PGA Tour on NBC, with 2.4 million viewers.

Despite the big gap, LIV’s first broadcast showed a promising start. Although it may take some time for LIV’s viewership and ratings to be at par with PGA, LIV and CW’s partnership shows excellent potential.

CW ranked 25th in the US in 2022 with 574,000 average daily viewers after the changes in management and to its original programming, focused on teens and young-adult.

3. The Masters 2023 toppled PGA Tours and LIV by averaging over 12 million viewers.

(Sportskeeda)

During over five hours of broadcast, The Masters reached 16.25 million combined total viewers. The final round peaked at over 15 million viewers between 7:00-7:15 p.m. EST and averaged 12.06 viewers.

Golf Viewer Demographic Statistic

People refer to golf as the “ Rich Man’s Sport. ” This is due to the costs linked with playing. The sporting gear and equipment, membership fees, and even travel to golf courses will cost you a fortune.

Being dominated by male adult athletes , viewer demographics are leaning toward more middle-aged mid-to-high-income adult men. But, with the increase in female athletes and younger generations taking an interest in the sport, viewer trends are shifting.

Explore the profile of golf fanatics and see how the dominance of a particular group, based on demographics, affects viewership.

4. Only 15% of women watch golf sometimes or often as of June 2022.

(Statistica, National Golf Foundation)

Between 2019-2022, the number of women playing golf increased by 15%. Despite the increase of women playing golf, viewership is still predominantly men.

For respondents that answered often or sometimes, males make up 66%, while females are only 34%. This is consistent with the number of players, where 77% are male.

5. 71% of ages 18-34 followed LIV Golf in 2022.

(The Bay State Banner)

Non-traditional tournaments like exhibitions and LIV golf thrive in the younger generation. 71% of the respondents, aged 18-34, follow LIV Golf.

Meanwhile, PGA’s rating in the same age bracket is dwindling. 80% of Gen Zs claim that they do not like golf at all. Only 18% of those aged 18-34 consider themselves casual fans.

All sports attract this age bracket. As the younger generation takes over, sports organizations must capture their attention. This is to ensure that the industry will continue.

6. Golf viewers with an annual income of 70,000 and above make up 74% of the audience.

(Wichita State University)

Many of the world’s wealthiest are known to be golfers. Though this does not directly impact the income level of fans and viewers, 74% were discovered to be earning mid-to high-income.

Of the total respondents:

• 22.2% have an average income of $70,000-$99,999
• 37.9% have an average income of $100,000-$199,000
• 14% have an average income of $200,000 or more

Golf Viewership Statistic by Year

The number of fans watching golf fluctuates year-on-year. Tiger Wood’s winning match in 1997 reached 44 million viewers , the most-watched game ever recorded.

Meanwhile, the 2023 Masters peaked at 15.021 million between 7:00 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. ET, with an average of approximately 12 million viewers.

Take a look at the number of viewers in the major tournaments year-on-year.

7. Viewership for the PGA tour sees a 31% uptick in social media engagement in 2023.

(Front Office Sports)

PGA Tour viewership has seen an uplift of numbers across the board this year, with social media having the highest uptick by 31%. Other channels reported:

• 15% increase – Golf Channel
• 4% increase – CBS
• 19% increase – Masters Finals
• 3% increase – NBC

This shows that support from fans of the PGA Tour is increasing yearly.

8. U.S. Open 2022 recorded a 2.9 rating, the lowest since 1988.

9.2 million tuned in during Matt Fitzpatrick’s final hole, the highest viewership of the U.S. Open championship since 2013.

Ratings crashed to 2.9, a record low since the 1988 U.S. Open Championship. Despite this, the tournament is still the fourth most-watched event in 2022. The top 3 most-watched matches in 2022 are:

• PGA Championship (Final round)
• Masters (Third round)
• Masters (Final round)

9. US TV Networks recorded a 16% increase in total audience delivery during the Open Championship in 2022.

(NBC Sports)

150th Open Championship reached Total Audience Delivery of 2.5 million viewers across NBC, USA Network, and Peacock. This sets a 16% increase in TAD in 2021 and a 27% increase in 2019.

The 2022 Open Championship is the most-streamed golf event in NBC Sports history. Streaming reached 262 million minutes for all rounds.

The four rounds of the event were the most-watched sports event on their respective days. The finals averaged a TAD of 4.725 million viewers, a 12% increase from 2021, and peaked from 1:30-1:45 p.m. ET with more than 7.1 million viewers.

The statistics show that Golf is not just famous for the elite but is still steadily growing in players, fans, and viewership.

The Asian region shows a significant increase in people interested in the sport. Events such as LIV Golf help gain younger viewers. The challenge lies in enticing more women, younger people, and lower-income people to participate in the sport as viewers or players. 

Golf viewers and players have been predominantly mid to high-income men for years. It is essential to reach a broader market to increase viewership and keep the sport alive.

PGA viewers on regular weeks are averaging 2 million viewers. Championships can reach more than 10 million viewers.

Globally, there are approximately 450 million fans of golf.

Tiger Wood’s most famous victory in Augusta in 1997 recorded 44 million viewers, the most-watched tournament ever.

Yes. Major golf tournaments have seen a significant increase in viewership in 2022 and 2023 compared to previous years.

• Danang Leisure
• AB Magazine
• The Athletic
• Sportskeeda
• National Golf Foundation
• The Bay State Banner
• Wichita State University
• Front Office Sports
• River’s Edge

Once wrote serious life-saving stuff for the government, now unleashes his inner geek on the blog world. When not taking a deep dive into comics and video game lore or performing music, he dreams of chilling in a cold, cozy spot with a beer in his hand – probably somewhere the government won't find him. Sports and gaming enthusiast by day, cartoon and gastronomy detective by night.

One year later, why haven’t PGA Tour and the Saudis completed a deal?

With virtually no warning of the pending earthquake, the golf world tuned in for the shocking sight of two combatants seated amicably side-by-side in a New York cable news studio.

“I think today is a historical day for the PGA Tour and the game of golf,” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan declared at the outset of a CNBC interview June 6, 2023. “… What we’re talking about today is coming together to unify the game of golf.”

Vague details unspooled about the pending partnership between the tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which had launched the rival LIV Golf operation, before the CNBC host asked PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan , “How much more time to get to the definitive agreement?”

“I think it’s a matter of weeks,” he said.

One year later, professional golf is still bitterly divided. Television ratings many weeks are down. There has been no merger and no partnership. The PGA Tour and LIV Golf continue to operate independently. The best players on the planet get together just four times per year . And there has been no infusion of Saudi oil money to help reshape or bolster the PGA Tour.

That announcement was supposed to be a monumental day for the sport . Instead of providing closure to a tumultuous chapter, it bred more chaos and questions.

The deal is not dead, according to people close to the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to be candid about the negotiations, and Monahan and Al-Rumayyan have been in regular contact in recent weeks. The two were scheduled to meet Friday in New York to continue talks, according to one person familiar with the plans. The New York Times first reported the pending meeting and said it will include Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

But while the sides continue to talk, no one seems certain whether they will be able to iron out the wrinkles — or whether a deal would ultimately return professional golf to solid footing.

“Obviously, a year later you would have thought we had a bit more clarity on that,” Canadian golfer Mackenzie Hughes said last week. “There’s not really much there. I think eventually when we get through this situation, I think golf will be in a great spot still. But there’s a lot of hurdles to get over right now.”

While neither PGA Tour nor PIF officials would publicly comment on where things stand one year later, several people familiar with the talks say meaningful progress is still being made. But it is clear the controversial pact was more complicated than anyone anticipated, with many of the same questions and hurdles that Monahan and Al-Rumayyan sidestepped last year still looming.

1. What is taking so long?

Following the initial announcement, talks were instantly delayed by a congressional inquiry and the specter of a Justice Department investigation. Plus, the PGA Tour had to do cleanup with its members, who were incensed at being kept in the dark, and Monahan took medical leave for five weeks to deal with anxiety related to the situation.

Talks were slow to heat up, and when LIV poached star Jon Rahm in December, relations between the sides appeared frayed. Even with a Dec. 31 deadline, there was little meaningful progress. They agreed to keep negotiating past that deadline as PGA Tour players took on more control, installing Woods on the tour’s influential policy board.

But Woods and the other player directors didn’t meet face-to-face with Al-Rumayyan until March, when the sides convened in the Bahamas. Woods and Al-Rumayyan played a round of golf together, and Woods later called it “a very positive meeting.”

Following a minority investment of at least $1.5 billion from a consortium of pro sports owners , the tour formally created a new entity to oversee its commercial interests — PGA Tour Enterprises — and that company’s board formed a subcommittee to negotiate with the PIF.

The new entity effectively sidelined some of the early negotiators, including policy board member Jimmy Dunne, who first reached out to Al-Rumayyan in 2023 and helped broker the initial framework agreement. After he was left off the new company’s board and the negotiating subcommittee, Dunne stepped down from the tour’s policy board last month, saying in his resignation letter that “no meaningful progress has been made toward a transaction with the PIF.”

But others say work is being done behind the scenes, even if the steps are slow and deliberate. In the past couple of months, the sides have shared pitch decks and exchanged term sheets of what a final deal might look like, according to two people familiar with the talks.

“Things are actually moving positively from both sides,” Jordan Spieth, a member of the PGA Tour Enterprises board, said recently. “… From what I do know, it’s cordial, there’s open dialogue, and it’s moving along at the pace that it’s moving along. And anything else that’s said about it is just, I just know to be false. So I’m very optimistic.”

2. What are the hurdles?

The sides are largely discussing the same issues they promised to solve a year ago. The tour’s membership has not always been unified on the best course of action or even what an acceptable resolution would be.

“I think there’s a lot of things people don’t realize that need to occur for things to go back together, for everyone to sort of shake hands and move along,” PGA Tour golfer Xander Schauffele said this week.

The PGA Tour wants to settle on a financially viable path while expanding its reach. But it doesn’t yet know how it would welcome LIV golfers back into PGA Tour events. The PIF, meanwhile, always sought a seat at the table, but it’s not keen to simply write a blank check; Saudi officials expect a return on any investment.

The tour doesn’t plan to use new money on tournament purses or to bolster existing operations; it is trying to identify sources of revenue and expansion, which could include purchasing new properties, leveraging media rights or delving into untapped markets.

The Saudis haven’t always shown the same sense of urgency at the negotiating table. They aren’t eager to give up on LIV altogether, and the tour doesn’t want to compete head-to-head with a deep-pocketed rival. But both sides are interested in growing the game globally and finding ways the PGA Tour can coexist with a complementary circuit, probably one that is team-based, is internationally focused and has a competition calendar that doesn’t conflict with tour events.

Even if they can sort through that, the Justice Department could still have final say on whether any deal passes muster and doesn’t violate federal antitrust laws.

3. Who is at the negotiating table?

The June 6 announcement resulted in no shortage of mistrust and division among the PGA Tour ranks. Monahan survived the tumult, but the balance of power shifted.

McIlroy, the face of the tour’s battle before June 6, resigned from the tour’s policy board in November. An effort to return him to the board was scuttled last month, with McIlroy saying, “There was a subset of people on the board that were maybe uncomfortable with me coming back.”

He was ultimately included on the negotiating subcommittee but clearly has some different ideas than Woods and Patrick Cantlay, another influential member of the PGA Tour Enterprises board.

“It’s good to see it differently,” Woods said during the PGA Championship last month, “but collectively as a whole we want to see whatever’s best for all the players, the fans and the state of golf. How we get there, that’s to be determined.”

The other members of the negotiating subcommittee are Monahan; golfer Adam Scott; Joe Gorder, chair of the new board; Joe Ogilvie, a retired golfer; and John Henry, principal owner of Fenway Sports Group.

4. What is the status of LIV Golf?

LIV Golf never altered its plans and continued entering into multiyear contracts with players, courses, sponsors and vendors that should ensure its existence through at least 2025. The organization now has more than 200 employees and is soon moving into new office spaces in New York and London.

The product has been slow to catch on domestically, but LIV officials are buoyed by recent corporate partners and some of the response they have received overseas.

If there is not progress on the PIF-PGA Tour negotiations in the next four months, the stage could be set for an offseason in which LIV moves even more aggressively to sign some of the tour’s biggest names.

In short, LIV is not operating like a business preparing to close up shop anytime soon.

5. What about the concerns over human rights violations?

For all the rhetoric from tour officials over Saudi Arabia’s human rights record when LIV began play June 2022, those concerns have largely faded into the background — at least for many of the game’s stakeholders. Ogilvie, the former pro golfer who serves as “liaison director” on the PGA Tour Enterprises board and is also on the negotiating subcommittee, recently told Eamon Lynch , the Golf Channel host and Golfweek columnist:

“Look, it’s a very messy world. You hope things evolve, that society has by any measure gotten better. It’s better now than it was 10 years ago. It was better 10 years ago than it was 20 years ago. And I’m assuming it will be better 10 years from now. You can’t paralyze yourself. You can’t expect perfection. You just want things to evolve in a better way. And I think that’s obviously what the kingdom wants to do.”

6. Why does the PGA Tour still want the Saudi investment?

While the PGA Tour has taken on the $1.5 billion investment from Strategic Sports Group , there are still questions about the viability of its business model, especially as it shifts its core operations from a nonprofit organization to a commercial entity and launches a player equity program. The tour has asked its local tournament directors to start kicking in more money and has fielded questions from key sponsors about the future of the game.

Tour officials have said that even if LIV Golf lags far behind in spectator interest, it will continue to pose an existential threat because it can pick off tour players and leave the PGA Tour with a watered-down product.

Notably, a PIF investment would be worth significantly more than whatever the Saudis put in. The SSG investors are expected to raise their commitment as high as $3 billion if the PIF ultimately signs on.

7. What happens if the deal falls through?

The professional golf war would enter a new phase, and no one around the game — particularly those at PGA Tour headquarters — is eager to see how that would play out. The PIF could keep putting money behind LIV, and even if fan interest in LIV remains tepid, it could be devastating to the tour’s product and its bottom line.

One bright side of the initial framework agreement: It called for an immediate end to the litigation that had consumed both sides. Tour officials have said their legal costs had reached the neighborhood of $50 million, and they were happy to see the cases dismissed last June .

8. What is the possible timeline for a final deal?

The PGA Tour can’t wait forever and is eager to start making strategic steps with the money it has on hand. That said, the potential PIF investment could be transformational, adding billions to the tour’s coffers, so officials remain hopeful. They surely don’t want to enter into an offseason bidding war with LIV, so this summer looks to be a pivotal period for negotiations.

If the sides do agree to terms, it probably would trigger a federal review, which could take several weeks or months. If the Justice Department feels competition is stifled or the consumer is somehow harmed, the whole deal could be rejected and the golf world would revert to its pre-June 6 state.

The Memorial presented by Workday

Muirfield Village Golf Club

PGA Championship turns in surprising Sunday TV viewership numbers

Maddie Meyer/PGA of America

Television ratings for the final round of the 2023 PGA Championship probably don’t rank very high among the things that Brooks Koepka cares about. That’s different for the network that broadcasted that round, CBS, and the viewership numbers being reported from Sunday’s action at Oak Hill Country Club.

RELATED: Tiger Woods officially withdraws from the U.S. Open

According to Sports Business Journal and Sports Media Watch, CBS drew an average of 4.517 million viewers for Koepka's win on Sunday, the lowest number for a final round of a PGA Championship on CBS since 2008, when Padraig Harrington outlasted Sergio Garcia and Ben Curtis at Oakland Hills for his third major title.

As compared to 2022, when Justin Thomas beat Will Zalatoris in a playoff at Southern Hills, the viewership average was down 14 percent from 5.27 million, which seems surprising given some of the similarities in the action that transpired. Last year, Thomas emerged from a pack that included Zalatoris, Cameron Young and Matt Fitzpatrick, in addition to Mito Pereira, who suffered a brutal collapse at the 72nd hole. In other words, the 2022 PGA had a lot of things going for it.

RELATED: Watch the moment Michael Block's caddie figured out just how much he made at the PGA

But one could say this year's PGA had a similar level of excitement brewing. You had Koepka completing his comeback tour—and the narrative of a LIV golfer trying to win a major—while battling a rising star in Viktor Hovland down the stretch. Scottie Scheffler made a Sunday charge, Bryson DeChambeau was lurking and Rory McIlroy hung around. Oh, and did we mention the fairytale story that was (and still is) Michael Block? To think that all those factors led to a 15-year low ratings number is quite stunning.

According to Sports Media Watch, the viewership average for Saturday's third round at Oak HIll was 3.22 million, down 11 percent from 2022 (3.62 million) and the lowest since 2017 (3.21 million).

These numbers are in contrast to the numbers for CBS from last month’s Masters, where the final round was the most-watched golf telecast on an U.S. network in five years. And the following week, the ratings for final round of the RBC Heritage (a designated event, mind you) on CBS were up 13 percent from 2022.

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Scottie Scheffler being booked on suspicion of second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic brought eyeballs and a spike in viewership to the broadcast of the 106 th PGA Championship.

CBS reported an 11-percent viewership increase for the final round of the PGA Championship on Sunday at Valhalla Golf Club. CBS averaged just under 5 million viewers, up from 4.5 million last year when Brooks Koepka won by two shots at Oak Hill. (It’s still the second-lowest rating in the last five years.)

Scheffler, the world No. 1 and reigning Masters champion, was detained early Friday morning before his second-round tee time after trying to drive into the entrance of Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. The assault charge is a felony; the others are misdemeanors.

News of Scheffler’s arrest went viral and included firsthand reporting by ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, who witnessed Scheffler attempt to enter the club and a police officer attach himself to the vehicle.

ESPN’s live telecast of the second round of the PGA Championship on May 17 averaged 1.6 million viewers, an increase of 18 percent in audience compared to the second-round coverage in 2023.

Friday’s telecast, which ran from noon until 8 p.m. ET, peaked at 2 million viewers during the 6-6:15 p.m. quarter hour. Last year’s second-round telecast averaged 1.369 million viewers.

Also on Friday, the  ESPN BET at the PGA Championship alternate telecast on ESPN2 averaged 323,000 viewers between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., up from 164,000 average viewers during the first round Thursday.

The  PGA Championship with No Laying Up alternate telecast that aired on ESPN2 from 1-3 p.m. averaged 155,000 viewers, up from 89,000 average viewers Thursday.

TV ratings of PGA Tour events have been down significantly for the year. The Masters, which Scheffler captured by four strokes, was down 20 percent to an average of 9.59 million viewers. The Tour has been plagued by bad weather, such as the cancellation of the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and by several lesser-known winners (Matthieu Pavon, Jake Knapp). Another pressing concern: Tour-LIV fatigue.

Perhaps all CBS needed was a photo finish between Xander Schauffele, the player formerly wearing the label of best player never to win a major, and LIV showman Bryson DeChambeau. Either that, or more likely the world No. 1 being photographed in an orange jumpsuit for his mug shot before shooting 66 gave golf a bump. Regardless, it’s a positive for the networks, who have been taking it on the chin this season.

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Watch on espn+, the memorial tournament, homa featured group, rory mcilroy featured group, bradley & taylor groups, j. thomas & matsuyama groups, main feed + t. kim group, rory mcilroy group, latest golf videos, scheffler wins memorial tournament, shares special celebration with family.

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Still no deal a year after PGA merger plan with Saudi PIF unveiled

One year after the shock unveiling of a merger agreement between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf's Saudi financial backers, the controversial move has not produced a finalized deal.

It was June 6, 2023 when PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan announced their plan to unify the PGA and LIV, restoring a single tour for golf's best talent.

PGA players were unhappy at being blindsided, especially after pressure over Saudi human rights issues to reject rich offers from the upstart series.

Any deal, however, had to go through the PGA Tour Policy Board, a panel revamped with a player majority in recent months.

A December 31 deadline was missed and a transaction subcommittee is now charged with negotiations, with player member Rory McIlroy telling Sports Illustrated they have spoken with the Saudis three times a week in the past month.

A Friday gathering in New York with Monahan, Al-Rumayyan and Tiger Woods involved was the first in-person meeting since March, McIlroy calling it "big-boy stuff" with business leaders, not players, leading talks.

PIF would buy into the for-profit PGA Tour Enterprises, created earlier this year in a tour agreement with US sport team owners, Fenway Sports Group owner John Henry among those investing a total of $1.5 billion.

"Looking a few years down the line, LIV is going to continue to sort of keep going down its path, but with maybe more of a collaboration or an understanding between the tours," McIlroy told SI. "Maybe there's some cross-pollination there where players can start to play on both."

For now, it's just the latest rumor.

"A year later seems like there's a lot of rumors and everything's the exact same. I haven't seen a single difference since that day," said 2011 PGA Championship winner Keegan Bradley.

"I've heard a lot of things that could happen. I have no clue what's going to happen with PIF. I hear a new rumor every day. I'm hopeful. I would love to have some of those big boys come back out here and play."

Deciding details of the path back to the unified series for PGA defectors and any accompanying punishment is a likely block to a final deal, as is a potential united tour with many more global stops compared to the mostly US-based PGA.

Television ratings have dipped this year, seen as a sign golf fans are weary of the LIV-PGA split.

"The PGA has a vision of what it wants to look like... and what it should evolve into," Aussie player negotiator Adam Scott told Golfweek. "I don't know exactly what (PIF's) vision is."

Scott sees a deal soon, more or less.

"I think we're getting there," Scott said. "Eventually, someone is going to have to put it out exactly what it is and I think that will happen very soon. You have to break the ice and someone has to show a hand. It's moving along as quickly as it can."

Woods says progress is slow but continues.

"It's fluid. It changes day to day," Woods said. "Has there been progress? Yes. But it's an ongoing negotiation, so a lot of work ahead for all of us.

"It may not be giant steps, but we're making steps."

The only current place to see the best PGA Tour players face LIV's top talent is at a major tournament.

- 'We're entertainers' -

LIV's Bryson DeChambeau, sixth at the Masters and second at the PGA Championship, is among 12 LIV players competing at the US Open.

"I've started to realize quite quickly that we're entertainers," he said. "We're out here doing a job but we're also entertaining fans, trying to grow the game, trying to show the fans what we're all about."

Second-ranked Xander Schauffele, last month's PGA Championship winner, expects the split will be all-but forgotten in time.

"I don't know what the timeframe would be," he said. "But this will just be a small blip everyone will laugh about. Remember when golf was really fractured?

"You'll laugh about it in five or six years. I imagine golf will be back together, everyone will be playing golf again together."

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Golf Talk Today: Bottom line, Scottie Scheffler is on a heater, The Memorial meltdown

Scottie Scheffler is 18 holes away from his 5th win in 2024 and his first at The Memorial, while others saw carnage affect them.

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Share All sharing options for: Golf Talk Today: Bottom line, Scottie Scheffler is on a heater, The Memorial meltdown 

Welcome to Playing Through’s new morning ritual — Golf Talk Today.

Each morning will feature a Golf Talk Today, where the crew will discuss various elements throughout the PGA Tour , LPGA, LIV Golf , and more.

In this second installment, let’s discuss Scottie Scheffler's round on Saturday at the Memorial Tournament and how some melted on Moving Day.

So brew a pot of coffee, grab some breakfast, and settle in as we discuss the top stories in professional golf.

The Memorial Tournament Top 10 after Round 3:

First, let’s take a look at the leaderboard after 36 holes.

1. Scottie Scheffler: -10 T2. Collin Morikawa: -6 T2: Sepp Straka: -6 T2: Adam Hadwin: -6 T5: Xander Schauffele: -4 T5: Ludvig Åberg: -4 T7: Victor Perez: -3 T7: Sahith Theegala: -3 T7: Nick Dunlap: -3 T7: Christian Bezuidenhout: -3

Scheffler holds a comfortable 4-stroke lead over Adam Hadwin , Collin Morikawa and Sepp Straka.

Moving Day was a struggle for Viktor Hovland , who shot a 5-over 77. He fell down the leaderboard, and his meltdown on the back nine ended any hope of defending his title at Muirfield Village.

However, Scheffler was far from perfect on Saturday. A horrendous triple on the par-4 9th made him look human, which caused thoughts to creep in on how the former Texas Longhorn could not win after April.

Scheffler did not let that mishap affect him, though. He added three more birdies and a bogey on 18 to sign for a 1-under 71.

At this point, the heater that Scheffler is on is his to lose. With a five-shot lead heading into the final day of play, the world could see him take home a win at Jack’s Place.

This leaderboard has a little of everything: The No.1 player in the world with a hefty lead, a two-time major champion in Morikawa, the reigning PGA Championship winner, and a few guys looking to take home their first Signature Event victory.

A Scottie Scheffler stat from The Memorial that will make you wonder

Let this stat sink in on what Scheffler is historically doing on the PGA Tour right now.

Scottie Scheffler holds a four-stroke lead after the third round of the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. 13th career 54-hole lead/co-lead in individual stroke-play events on TOUR; 6-for-12 to date converting to victory pic.twitter.com/EYuBRo9DSV — PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) June 8, 2024

Top PGA Tour quotes from The Memorial 3rd Round:

“He’s far and above the No. 1 player in the world, I believe, especially after watching today,” Adam Hadwin said about Scheffler. “I don’t expect him to lose this golf tournament, so one of us is going to have to make a run tomorrow.”

“I think more people are playing the game. I think people would rather play the game than sit and watch us play,” Rory McIlroy said, explaining why he thinks TV ratings are down for the PGA Tour. “Rounds of golf are up. Golf is thriving. I think there’s never been a bigger disconnect between recreational and professional golf, and that’s a big part of the reason.”

Updates from the professional golf world

The women are playing on the Bay Course at the renowned Seaview Resort outside of Atlantic City, New Jersey, for the Shoprite LPGA Classic. After the second round, Jenny Shin leads the pack at 10-under.

However, the day's news was that six-time LPGA winner Nasa Hataoka had been disqualified. She took too long to find her ball and did not follow the rules correctly.

Even Jenny Shin used social media to express her distaste for the ruling.

This is probably controversial. Nasa Hataoka getting DQed because someone thought it was 25seconds over 3mins after the scorecard was signed, should not be happening. Should someone be timing to prevent this? Maybe, however, if I heard correctly, there was a rules official who… — Jenny Shin (@JennyShin_LPGA) June 8, 2024

Ernie Els fired off an 8-under 64 to shoot up 21 spots to sit at 9-under and tied for the lead alongside Steve Stricker, who signed for a 6-under 66.

David Duval is in solo third at 7-under. Jerry Kelly and Tim O’Neal are at 6-under. Stricker is eying his first Champions Tour victory of the season after such a tremendous 2023.

LIV Houston saw a few players pulled out of the tournament on Saturday at The Golf Club of Houston. Jon Rahm and Louis Oosthuizen withdrew because of injuries.

Day two saw some movement on both the individual and team leaderboards. Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs GC sits at 26-under for the teams to lead the Torque GC by four shots. Bryson DeChambeau’s Crusher GC, the Cleeks and the 4Aces are tied in third at 21-under. Brooks Koepka’s Smash and Cam Smith’s Ripper GC are next on the leaderboard at 17-under.

On the individual side, Paul Casey, Carlos Ortiz, Adrian Meronk and David Puig all sit at 10-under to lead the pack heading into the final day of play.

ICYMI: Other top stories from The Memorial

Check out these stories:

“Big Boy Stuff:” Rory McIlroy details important PGA Tour, Saudi PIF meeting after Memorial round

LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau provides ironclad view on handling pro golf’s mental pressures

Father’s Day Gift Guide 2024: 10 golf items that we love and Dad will too

LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau discusses PGA Championship, makes stunning admission

Ludvig Aberg, Viktor Hovland looking to chase down Scottie Scheffler at the Memorial

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

Next Up In Golf

• U.S. Open: 3 bold predictions for season’s third major at Pinehurst No. 2
• Scottie Scheffler rules the world, and 4 other takeaways from a thrilling Memorial Tournament
• Betting odds, value picks, insight for 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2
• U.S. Open: How to watch, streaming, preview, tee times, more
• Torque GC’s Carlos Ortiz’s growth pays off, earns first LIV Golf win in Houston
• Scottie Scheffler joins Tiger Woods in history, wins Memorial for 5th victory of 2024

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2024 Memorial Saturday TV coverage, streaming: How to watch Round 3

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Scottie Scheffler is seeking his 11th career PGA Tour title.

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The third round of the 2024 Memorial Tournament kicks off Saturday morning at Muirfield Village . Here’s what you need to know to watch Round 3 on TV or online, including complete Memorial Saturday TV coverage and streaming information.

How to watch Memorial on Saturday

On Friday, golf fans were treated to the continuation of a recurring theme: Scottie Scheffler ascending to the top of the leaderboard.

Scheffler’s second-round 68 brought him to nine under par overall, three strokes clear of his closest competitors, as he chases his 11th career PGA Tour title.

New Scottie Scheffler police footage released: ‘Is Tiger as good as they say he is?’ 

Still, there’s plenty of golf left, and Scheffler will have to fend off chasers that include some of the biggest names in the game, like Viktor Hovland, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele.

You can watch the third round of the Memorial Tournament on TV via Golf Channel beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, followed by CBS at 2:30 p.m. ET. ESPN+ will offer exclusive early coverage and featured group coverage online beginning at 9:15 a.m. ET. In addition, Peacock will provide a live simulcast of Golf Channel’s coverage, and Paramount+ will offer the CBS broadcast.

Below you will find everything you need to watch the third round of the 2024 Memorial Tournament.

How to watch the Memorial on TV Saturday

Golf Channel will air third-round TV coverage of the 2024 Memorial Tournament from 12:30-2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. CBS will take over from 2:30-6 p.m. ET.

How to stream the Memorial online Saturday

You can stream the third round of the 2024 Memorial Tournament on Saturday via Peacock , ESPN+ and Paramount+ . Peacock will provide a simulcast of Golf Channel’s TV coverage starting at 12:30 p.m. ET, and ESPN+ will provide exclusive early coverage and featured group coverage starting at 9:15 a.m. ET. Paramount+ will offer a simulcast of CBS’ TV coverage starting at 2:30 p.m. ET.

2024 Memorial Tournament tee times for Saturday: Round 3  (ET)

9:20 a.m. – Andrew Putnam, Cameron Young 9:30 a.m. – Jackson Koivun, Emiliano Grillo 9:40 a.m. – Jason Day, Justin Thomas 9:50 a.m. – Austin Eckroat, Thomas Detry 10:00 a.m. – Sungjae Im, Shane Lowry 10:10 a.m. – Denny McCarthy, Tom Hoge 10:20 a.m. – Davis Thompson, Matt Kuchar 10:30 a.m. – Nick Taylor, Brian Harman 10:45 a.m. – Cam Davis, Sam Burns 10:55 a.m. – Tom Kim, Adam Svensson 11:05 a.m. – Peter Malnati, Eric Cole 11:15 a.m. – Victor Perez, Taylor Pendrith 11:25 a.m. – Byeong Hun An, Will Zalatoris 11:35 a.m. – Corey Conners, Max Homa 11:45 a.m. – Lee Hodges, J.T. Poston 12:00 p.m. – Sahith Theegala, Russell Henley 12:10 p.m. – Billy Horschel, Alex Noren 12:20 p.m. – Nick Dunlap, Matt Fitzpatrick 12:30 p.m. – Seamus Power, Hideki Matsuyama 12:40 p.m. – Collin Morikawa, Si Woo Kim 12:50 p.m. – Tommy Fleetwood, Sepp Straka 1:05 p.m. – Xander Schauffele, Akshay Bhatia 1:15 p.m. – Tony Finau, Rory McIlroy 1:25 p.m. – Keegan Bradley, Ludvig Aberg 1:35 p.m. – Viktor Hovland, Christiaan Bezuidenhout 1:45 p.m. – Scottie Scheffler, Adam Hadwin

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As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Is­sue, which debuted in February 2018. Her origi­nal interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.

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