When LIV Golf first began a little over two years ago, it initially led to a small surge in the interest of professional golf given the rivalry with the PGA Tour and the intrigue behind the new league. But that’s all worn off, and it seems like the rivalry between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour has ultimately been bad for professional golf.
This week, Rory McIlroy opened up about the whole situation, pointing out that TV ratings have dropped off dramatically this year.
“I think 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% across the board,” McIlroy said Wednesday at the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio according to ESPN. “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.”
McIlroy called out the two leagues a little bit, saying that he thinks people are just getting tired of the rivalry between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour
“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 PGA Tour and LIV Golf continue to try to work out an alliance that could lead to a sort of reunification between the leagues, but it hasn’t happened yet.
[ESPN]
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