Rory McIlroy's bleak PGA Tour prediction comes true amid LIV Golf uncertainty

Rory McIlroy's comments about declining golf viewership have been validated as recent weeks have seen a significant drop in TV ratings for the sport. The Northern Irishman had previously voiced his concerns about dwindling audiences.

The world of golf has been split due to the introduction of LIV Golf , which was launched in October 2021. Initially, the PGA Tour suspended players who joined LIV Golf, but a year later, they signed an agreement with the Saudi-backed league.

As per the Sports Business Journal , the PGA Tour averaged 2.2 million viewers for its Sunday broadcasts in 2024, excluding Majors. This represents a 19 percent decrease from the 2.7 million viewers that tuned in during the same time slot in 2023.

On Saturdays, the Tour attracted 1.5 million viewers, marking a 17 percent drop from the 1.8 million viewers the previous year. Several factors contributed to the decline in viewership, including conflicts with NFL coverage and poor weather conditions affecting tournaments.

However, another possible reason could be the absence of big names like Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, and Phil Mickelson from the PGA Tour due to their association with LIV Golf. Additionally, fans may be growing weary of the ongoing feud between the two Tours.

McIlroy, who formerly served on the PGA Tour's policy board before resigning in November 2023, discussed the issue of golf viewership earlier this year. The four-time Major champ voiced concerns: "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.

"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, then there's an argument to say, 'Okay, we need to get this thing back together'.

"But on the flip side, if the numbers aren't as good, it's an argument to still say we need to put everyone back together because people are losing interest in the game even if they don't want to tune in to the four Major championships. Like that to me is not... That's where I said like things need a correction and things are unsustainable."