Things may be softening behind the scenes between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, but the animosity between golfers and media members on both sides remains as spicy as ever.
The WM Phoenix Open is marked by the raucous crowd that lines the par-3 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale. After Friday saw Emiliano Grillo sink an ace, fans came out in full force on Saturday, hoping for similar fireworks.
As CBS’s cameras panned the crowd, former PGA Tour pro Colt Knost, who is covering the event as an on-course commentator, couldn’t help himself.
“Around 24,000 circled around the coliseum here,” said Knost. “That’s 12,000 times two if my math is right.”
Those comments might have sounded innocuous, if not a little weird, but they were actually a not-so-subtle dig at LIV’s dismal ratings. It was reported Friday that LIV Golf’s season-opening Riyadh tournament averaged 12,000 viewers for its opening-round telecast Thursday on FS2.
Quite literally, LIV Golf’s 2025 debut was watched by fewer people in attendance at one hole of a PGA Tour event.
LIV has a strategy in place to try to siphon away viewers from the PGA Tour and grow its audience through a new Fox deal. So far, that plan is off to an inauspicious start, and the only thing golf fans noticed was how poorly they performed.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.