The LIV Golf league achieved its greatest success in the battle against the PGA Tour recently by acquiring multiple-time major champion Jon Rahm. Rahm also brought along one of the tour’s most underappreciated players, Tyrell Hatton. These two players joined Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, and Phil Mickelson as prominent and highly skilled individuals in the emerging league. LIV has also embraced various innovative initiatives such as incorporating music during rounds, hosting no cut events, and organizing shorter tournaments to ensure the participation of top-tier players.
However, if we look at television ratings, it appears that all these efforts have not been effective in achieving their goal of increasing viewership and associated revenue. According to Sports Media Watch, the final round of the LIV Golf Las Vegas tournament on Saturday ranked 51st among sports programs. It attracted approximately 20,000 fewer viewers than the Kansas State-BYU basketball game and roughly the same number as the Golf Central PGA tour pregame show.
This is surprising considering that Rahm was playing in only his second major tournament at the Las Vegas Country Club, the day before the Super Bowl. In contrast, the WM Phoenix Open was the third highest-rated sports TV show, while LIV Golf ranked 51st.
The question arises: How can the LIV model be sustainable? Despite attracting numerous new players, including one of the biggest names in golf, it has had little impact on television ratings. Attendance seems to be improving slightly, but there is no national discussion about the results of the Las Vegas tournament as there is with major PGA events. Additionally, there is a divide between the two tours in terms of reunification.
Unfortunately for LIV, unless it can attract every big-name player such as McIlroy, Spieth, Thomas, Scheffler, Morikawa, and Tiger Woods, it is difficult to see how the ratings will improve from their current state. The LIV tournaments simply lack the history and significance that the PGA can exploit to its advantage.
It appears that the LIV experiment has actually harmed the PGA Tour by reducing interest in non-Major events. However, it has not yet proven itself as a viable long-term league on its own. Offering substantial bonuses and “team equity” may have been enough to attract some big-name stars, but it is unclear if this is a sustainable business model in the long run. It remains to be seen if the Saudi-backed league even prioritizes long-term sustainability.
According to the Source outkick.com