Rory McIlroy's worst fears realised as PGA Tour feels absence of LIV Golf stars

Golf tv viewing figures person nosedived successful 2024 and Rory McIlroy warned earlier this twelvemonth that the athletics is losing its assemblage owed to LIV Golf and the PGA Tour feud

Rory McIlroy's earlier comments astir dwindling play TV viewership person been validated arsenic caller figures amusement a important drop.

The Northern Irishman had antecedently voiced his concerns astir the decreasing fig of spectators. The world of golf has seen a divided successful caller years, pursuing the constitution of LIV Golf, which was launched successful October 2021.

Initially, the PGA Tour suspended players who joined LIV Golf, but a twelvemonth later, they signed an statement with the Saudi-backed circuit.

As per the Sports Business Journal, the PGA Tour averaged 2.2 cardinal viewers for its Sunday broadcasts successful 2024 erstwhile Majors were excluded. This represents a 19 per cent alteration from the 2.7 cardinal viewers that tuned successful during the aforesaid slot successful 2023.

On Saturdays, the Tour attracted 1.5 cardinal viewers, marking a 17 per cent driblet from the 1.8 cardinal radical who watched past year. Several factors contributed to the diminution successful viewership, including clashes with NFL sum and mediocre upwind conditions affecting respective tournaments.

However, different imaginable crushed could beryllium the lack of large names similar Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson from the PGA Tour owed to their relation with LIV Golf. Additionally, fans whitethorn beryllium increasing weary of the ongoing quality betwixt the 2 Tours.

McIlroy, who formerly served connected the PGA Tour's argumentation committee earlier stepping down successful November 2023, had addressed the contented of play viewing figures earlier this year.

The play fable shared his insights: "I would accidental the numbers connected LIV aren't large either successful presumption of the radical tuning in. I conscionable deliberation with the warring and everything that's went connected implicit the past mates years, radical are conscionable getting truly fatigued of it and it's turning radical disconnected men's nonrecreational golf, and that's not a bully happening for anyone."

"It's going to beryllium truly absorbing to spot however the 4 Major championships do, oregon adjacent the 3 because, enactment Augusta speech - I deliberation that benignant of lives successful its ain world."

"It volition beryllium truly absorbing to spot however the Major title numbers fare compared to the different bigger events due to the fact that there's an statement to beryllium made if the numbers are amended and you've got each the champion players successful the satellite playing, past there's an statement to say, 'Okay, we request to get this happening backmost together'."

"But connected the flip side, if the numbers aren't arsenic good, it's an statement to inactive accidental we request to enactment everyone backmost unneurotic due to the fact that radical are losing involvement successful the crippled adjacent if they don't privation to tune successful to the 4 Major championships."

"Like that to maine is not... That's wherever I said similar things request a correction and things are unsustainable."