LIV Golf's TV Ratings Last Weekend Fell 85% Short Of The PGA Tour's Honda Classic Draw With More People Watching "World's Funniest Animals"
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Not exactly the rip-roaring start LIV Golf was hoping for in its first telecast on The CW. Throw all the money you want at that fledgling rival league and gas up the team aspect until you're blue in the face. There is no legacy or significance attached to LIV Golf as it stands, and for there to be even a modicum of prestige in any of those tournaments, they'll need to actually count for something significant on a player's resume. We're decades away from even shaping those perceptions. The question is, can LIV even survive that long?
An endless bankroll and undeniable star power make LIV a viable product for now. However, as our guy Dan Rapaport pointed out, it's appears the PGA Tour is learning from losing some of their best players and making their circuit more attractive than ever:
OK but let's not just turn this into a total LIV-bashing fest. Will aim for objectivity. Or thereabouts.
Uhh...well I don't know if many people were super aware of LIV Golf airing on The CW. Have never met anyone who's super into LIV as is, and I think a lot of casual golf fans need some serious convincing to follow what happens there. It's an undeniably fascinating disruptor to the sport, and if the top stars can really create compelling, quality tournaments, maybe LIV will catch on and find a sizable audience. We're still very early in this thing and, once again, this Saudi-backed tour has limitless funds.
Charles Howell III is celebrated by many — and derided by some — as one of the most consistent professional golfers who never wins. I personally think it's impressive Howell managed to hold his PGA Tour card for over two decades without losing it considering he only one three times in that span.
Nevertheless, for LIV's debut telecast, I'm sure Chuckie Three Sticks was probably not the ideal winner Greg Norman had in mind. If, say, Dustin Johnson or Cam Smith were in contention, you'd maybe have seen a slight uptick in viewership. To reiterate, though, I don't recall seeing much advertising for LIV about their TV grand opening. Maybe there's a collective reticence around the industry to air their ads, which is understandable.
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IDK. Seems like a tough, uphill battle LIV Golf is in for to pull in lots of fans, but with a stronger marketing push, their superstars playing to their full abilities and a solid home for their TV broadcasts, there's little elsewhere to go but up.
Until then and until I can wrap my head around what LIV Golf even is — 54 Golf for 54 no-cut holes, real original guys — I'll be eager to watch the PGA Tour's sick two-week run of the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the PLAYERS Championship, thank you very much. And we've got the WGC Match Play this month, followed by The Masters only a couple weeks after that.
What a slate of tournaments that actually, you know, matter.
Twitter @MattFitz_gerald/TikTok