With an average start at the PGA Tour season, who thought Rory McIlroy would be the star at his debut appearance in the Zurich Classic? The golfer’s MVP appearance and triumph in the Sunday round boosted the viewership of the tournament to astounding figures in its three-year history.
McIlroy claimed his 25th PGA Tour title with playing partner Shane Lowry, and that momentum spread like wildfire among golf fans who were dying to witness this side of golf. The duo shot seven birdies over 18 holes and three bogeys on holes 1, 3, and 17 to land their score at 68. The game then escalated to a playoff after Rory paired with Shane and Chad Ramey paired with Martin Trainer, tied at 25 under.
The sensational playoff between both teams in New Orleans attracted around 1.852 million viewers, as per a report. The figures were 26% higher than last year’s 1.47 million. Also, the 2024 viewership of the event is the second-best since 2015.
This moment is a ray of hope for the PGA Tour, which has been struggling with viewership numbers since the start of this year. The Genesis Invitational displayed a 5% higher disengagement as compared to last year when Jon Rahm came out victorious at the event.
The agony of falling viewership followed the Tour at the Players Championship, won by Scottie Scheffler when 17% fewer people watched the tournament compared to the previous year. Also, the Masters’ viewership went down by 20%, with only 9.59 million users tuning in, which was a huge red flag as the majors were the events that attracted the highest audiences. The same fate followed at the RBC Heritage as well. But Rory McIlroy had already outlined his concerns regarding the PGA Tour viewership months before.
When Rory McIlroy Addressed Viewership Decline In The 2024 PGA Tour Season
The four-time major winner showed distress when the PGA Tour viewership declined by 20%. The golfer was worried about the long-term sustainability of the game. He also shed light on the fact that even LIV figures weren’t impressive and thus, golf was falling apart as a sport.
“I know this isn’t a be-all, end-all, but if you look at the TV ratings of the PGA Tour this year, they’re down 20 percent 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.”
The panic button pushed by McIlroy was evident as the PGAT-LIV feud was indeed taking a huge toll on the sport, especially its fans. Jon Rahm stated how a possible merger would be beneficial for the game and fans.
For now, the Zurich Classic TV engagement figures come as a temporary relief for the PGA tour. The only thing in sight that can save the sport is a unification of the game under a single umbrella where all the top golfers get to compete on the same course more often.
