When the Saudi-funded LIV Golf league began its conquest to rule men’s professional golf nearly four years ago, it likely thought it’d be a lot closer to overtaking the PGA Tour, or at least partnering with the PGA Tour, than it currently is.
Four years in, and LIV Golf still remains an afterthought to golf viewers. The rogue tour regularly gets trampled by the PGA Tour in the viewership department and continues to post massive financial losses year after year. Outside of a few well-attended international events and its biggest star becoming a YouTube sensation, there’s not a lot going for LIV.
Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee hasn’t been shy about pointing that out over the years. And as the world prepares to tune in for the Masters this weekend, Chamblee was asked by sports radio legend Dan Patrick if the PGA Tour has soundly won its battle with LIV.
The short answer, in Chamblee’s estimation, is yes.
“They did. I mean, even when LIV events are broadcast in the United States, and even when they’re broadcast and finished in primetime on the East Coast, they garner 35-50,000 views. More people watch pickleball than that on TV. And these are the best players. I mean, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, playing on the East Coast, finishing then, they’re just not galvanizing anybody to watch them,” Chamblee said.
To be fair, Chamblee’s viewership claims are only partly true. LIV Golf regularly gets in his stated range (or below) while airing on FS1, FS2, or Fox Business Network, but averages in the low-six-figures when on the main Fox broadcast channel.
But however you slice it, LIV’s viewership is a far cry from what the PGA Tour earns on a weekly basis, with final round coverage regularly eclipsing 2 million viewers.
It’s certainly no surprise to hear Chamblee bashing LIV once again. What is more surprising is that most of the golf world, and sports media writ large, has simply moved on from the story. It is accepted fact that the PGA Tour remains the superior product, and LIV golfers only remain relevant four times per year when they compete in majors.
And still, there’s no end in sight.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.