The Showdown Draws Lower Viewership Than Previous Match Events

The much-hyped golf showdown between PGA Tour stars and LIV Golf’s biggest names turned out to be a ratings disappointment, pulling in just 625,000 viewers across TNT and TBS.

Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy from the PGA Tour faced off against LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka at the swanky Shadow Creek Golf Club in Las Vegas earlier this week.

It wasn’t even close. The PGA Tour duo dominated all three sessions.

The match was supposed to be a rare treat for golf fans – one of the few times players from both tours have competed against each other outside of the majors since LIV Golf shook up the sport in 2022.

Those viewer numbers? They’re pretty rough. Sports Business Journal’s Josh Carpenter says it’s the second-worst showing ever for “The Match” series.

For perspective, these exhibition matches usually pull in over a million viewers. The high-water mark came in 2020 when Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson teamed up with NFL legends Tom Brady and Peyton Manning – that one drew a massive 5.8 million viewers.

Even February’s match featuring Max Homa, McIlroy, Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang did worse, with just 511,000 tuning in.

It’s been a tough year for golf viewership across the board. Sunday tournament coverage on the PGA Tour averaged 2.8 million viewers during the regular season – down about 20% from last year if you don’t count the majors.

Things got really dire during the fall series. The Procore Championship in September? Only 69,000 people watched Patton Kizzire’s victory on Golf Channel.

The players know there’s a problem.

“Too many people are losing interest,” DeChambeau said before a LIV event in Miami this year. “We need an agreement fast.”

McIlroy echoed those concerns: “A 20 percent drop in TV ratings – that’s a fifth. That’s big.”

There was one bright spot this year: When DeChambeau and McIlroy went head-to-head at the US Open, viewers showed up. The final round drew 5.9 million viewers over seven hours – an 11-year record for NBC.

The disappointing numbers for The Showdown highlight why many are hoping for a deal between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf’s Saudi backers. Golf’s civil war isn’t just splitting the players – it might be losing the fans too.