pga tour viewership

Golf fans shocked as latest LIV Golf vs PGA Tour TV ratings are revealed

Golf fans react as TV ratings are revealed from last weekend's LIV Golf Mayakoba and PGA Tour's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Golf fans have been reacting to the latest TV ratings following LIV Golf 's first event of the season at Mayakoba and the PGA Tour 's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which was reduced to a 54-hole tournament following a final-round washout.

With no live golf played on Sunday over on the PGA Tour, it left the door wide open for golf fans to head over to The CW Network should they so wish and view the final round of LIV Golf Mayakoba in Mexico. 

It was also a particularly strong leaderboard heading into the final round too, with Joaquin Niemann leading by two strokes over LIV Golf debutant and arguably the best player in the world, Jon Rahm . 

But despite everything aligning perfectly for LIV Golf in the final round, unfortunately its viewing figures on The CW Network were close to five times less to that of CBS Sports ' third-round coverage of the PGA Tour's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am , which ended up being the final round due to bad weather.

Wyndham Clark was crowned the winner after surging into the third-round read following a stunning 60 , which marked the lowest-ever round at famed Pebble Beach.

It was not the lowest round of the weekend, however, as Niemann fired a course-record 59 in the first round at Mayakoba. 

While Clark's round marked the lowest of his blossoming PGA Tour career, the 60 did not count as an official record at Pebble Beach as a result of preferred lies being in place. 

Niemann ended up defeating his former mentor Sergio Garcia at the fourth extra hole in darkness over at Mayakoba, while Rahm led his new Legion XIII to a four-stroke team victory despite throwing away the individual title when finding the penalty area with his tee shot down the 17th. 

PGA Tour trounces LIV Golf

According to official TV ratings from the weekend's action in the men's professional game, CBS had 1.951m viewers during Saturday's third round.

In comparison, LIV Golf's second-round action on Saturday drew 168,000 viewers on The CW Network but an improved 432,000 viewers on Sunday. 

Pebble Beach PGA (Saturday), CBS: 1.951m LIV Golf (Saturday), CW: 168K LIV Golf (Sunday), CW: 432K https://t.co/I7csAFZ3vK — Sports TV Ratings (@SportsTVRatings) February 6, 2024

What must be taken into consideration is the above numbers do not include streaming available on both the LIV Golf Plus App and the LIV Golf YouTube channel. 

While these figures have not been made official, LIV Golf's final round YouTube video has amassed 165,000 views. 

One big positive for LIV Golf is the fact its final-round coverage of the first event of the season on The CW Network was superior to that of its first event in 2023, also at Mayakoba, which had 291,000 viewers. 

So it's not all bad news for LIV Golf. 

Golf fans have been reacting to the latest TV ratings on LIV Golf and the PGA Tour over on social media, so we encourage you to head over to our GolfMagic post on both Facebook and Twitter and get involved in the debate. 

Some fans think its very unfair to compare the two Tours without knowing how many viewers came through the LIV Golf Plus App, while others believe LIV Golf will never reach PGA Tour TV ratings no matter how much money is pumped into the Saudi-backed circuit. 

Which tournament did you watch last weekend? Did you tune into the final round of LIV Golf Mayakoba? Share your thoughts and comments over on the GolfMagic social media channels. 

Take me to more golf news!

Sponsored Posts

Latest news.

Latest Reviews

Report: PGA Tour ratings increase for NBC, CBS and Golf Channel

Nbc racks up tad of 2.27m viewers across seven pga tour events this season..

Getty Images

The PGA Tour’s viewership on US broadcasters NBC, Golf Channel and CBS has increased during the ongoing 2023 season, according to Sports Business Journal (SBJ) .

• Through seven events, viewership on NBC increased three per cent year-over-year (YoY) with a total audience delivery (TAD) of 2.27 million viewers
• The Honda Classic and WGC Dell Match Play on NBC were the most-watched in four years
• The Valspar Championship hit a five-year high, with 2.59 million viewers tuning in to NBC for the final round
• Golf Channel has seen a nine per cent YoY jump in its audience through 15 events, notching up a TAD of 519,000 viewers
• CBS has averaged 2.59 million viewers for four PGA Tour events, excluding the Masters, marking a four per cent jump YoY
• The average weekly digital visitors to the PGA Tour’s website rose by eight per cent YoY in Q1 2023, while the number of iOS downloads of the tour’s app were up 60 per cent 
• Video views across the tour’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube channels were up 31 per cent compared to last year
• ESPN reported that streaming of PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ was up “significantly” in Q1, adding that the Genesis Invitational and Players Championship were the most-watched PGA Tour events ever on ESPN+.

This season, the PGA Tour increased its prize funds and put more FedExCup points on offer for several new ‘designated’ events in response to the breakaway LIV Golf circuit. Viewership numbers for those events have seen strong increases over 2022.

SBJ notes that two of the PGA Tour’s tournaments scheduled against LIV Golf’s three events saw a decline in viewership. The Valspar Championship, however, grew its audience for the final round by five per cent, despite going up against LIV Tucson.

Coming next:

The viewership figures for the PGA Tour will be well-received by its broadcast partners. The numbers also come a little over a month on from the tour announcing a shakeup of its schedule that will see cuts scrapped and tournament formats more closely aligned with those on LIV Golf at certain events from the start of next year.

Podcast | Does the business of the Masters still make sense in the age of LIV Golf?

Netflix renews both Break Point and Full Swing docuseries for a second season

PGA Tour to reduce field sizes and remove cuts at designated events for 2024 seaon

Ignition 2023 recap: MLB, Apple and PGA Tour among the highlights from SportsPro’s annual sports tech showcase

Follow Playing Through online:

• Follow Playing Through on Twitter
• Follow Playing Through on Instagram
• Follow Playing Through on Facebook

Site search

• Champions Tour
• DP World Tour
• Latest News

Filed under:

Scottie Scheffler’s Travelers Championship triumph produces TV ratings bump for CBS Sports

Scottie Scheffler and Tom Kim had an entertaining battle down the stretch, which bumped CBS's television ratings.

Share this story

• Share this on Facebook
• Share this on Twitter
• Share this on Reddit
• Share All sharing options

Share All sharing options for: Scottie Scheffler’s Travelers Championship triumph produces TV ratings bump for CBS Sports

Scottie Scheffler’s historic sixth win of the season at the Travelers Championship produced a nice ratings bump for CBS Sports and the PGA Tour .

The network delivered its most-watched Travelers Championship final round since 2021, up seven percent from the 2023 edition, which saw New England native Keegan Bradley triumph in front of his hometown crowd.

Sunday’s coverage averaged 2.607 million viewers and peaked with 4.330 million viewers between the 4:30 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. ET quarter hour—impressive metrics considering the PGA Tour bumped tee times up an entire hour due to pending weather. The 2.607 million viewers is in reference to the 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET window. It is also worth noting that the playoff between Scheffler and Tom Kim concluded before 5:00 p.m. ET, a full hour before CBS typically concludes its final-round coverage.

In addition, CBS Sports announced that Sunday’s final round was the most-streamed Travelers Championship round ever on its streaming platform, Paramount+. The network did not provide specific numbers related to its streaming service.

Nevertheless, these numbers come on at the end of a thrilling three-week stretch.

Before the Travelers Championship, Scheffler fended off Collin Morikawa at the Memorial, and Bryson DeChambeau won the U.S. Open in one of the best major championships in recent years.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

Next Up In Golf

• TaylorMade and other brands give fans amazing patriotic golf equipment
• Bernhard Langer to play final DP World Tour event in native Germany 50 years after debut
• John Deere Classic changed everything for Sepp Straka in 2023, propelled him to Ryder Cup
• LPGA Tour star Charley Hull withdraws from Aramco Team Series in London due to injury
• John Deere Classic betting odds, insight, predictions: Jordan Spieth among favorites
• John Deere Classic reminds fans of the greatest PGA Tour tee markers

Loading comments...

Sign up for the newsletter sign up for the playing through daily roundup newsletter, thanks for signing up.

Check your inbox for a welcome email.

Oops. Something went wrong. Please enter a valid email and try again.

Greg Norman Shuts Down Viewership Backlash With Harsh PGA Tour Comparison: 'Oldest Aging Demographic'

Greg norman revealed the reason for having a young audience, liv golf's bad luck with streaming options.

• Election 2024
• Entertainment
• Newsletters
• Photography
• AP Investigations
• AP Buyline Personal Finance
• AP Buyline Shopping
• Press Releases
• Israel-Hamas War
• Russia-Ukraine War
• Global elections
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East
• Election Results
• Delegate Tracker
• AP & Elections
• Auto Racing
• 2024 Paris Olympic Games
• Movie reviews
• Book reviews
• Financial Markets
• Business Highlights
• Financial wellness
• Artificial Intelligence
• Social Media

Pebble Beach rerun gets 3 times more linear TV viewers than LIV Golf

Wyndham Clark holds the trophy after winning the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament in Pebble Beach, Calif., Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. Clark was declared the 54-hole winner at the first full signature event of the PGA Tour season when rain and dangerous wind postponed the final round on Sunday, and then tour and Monterey County officials decided it was too dangerous to play on Monday.(AP Photo/Nic Coury)

El chileno Joaquín Niemann, con el trofeo de campeón individual del torneo LIV Golf en Mayakoba en el campo de golf El Camaleón en Playa del Carmen, México, el domingo 4 de febrero del 2024. (Montana Pritchard/LIV Golf vía AP)

• Copy Link copied

LIV Golf had the stage to itself when the PGA Tour’s final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am was postponed because of weather and the NFL was off before Super Bowl week.

According to Nielsen TV data, the PGA Tour still attracted three times as many viewers Sunday while showing a rerun of the third round.

LIV Golf Mayakoba, where Joaquin Niemann won a four-hole playoff in near darkness over Sergio Garcia, pulled in 432,000 viewers on the CW Network, its most ever.

Pebble Beach had over 1.21 million viewers on CBS for a rerun of Wyndham Clark setting the course record with a 60 in the third round. The tour canceled the final round later Sunday evening and Clark was declared the winner.

Saturday’s live coverage brought 1.91 million viewers for Pebble Beach, compared with 168,000 for Mayakoba.

The average audience for the final round of LIV Golf Mayakoba was 48% higher than the previous year. Along with the four-hole playoff, Masters champion Jon Rahm made his LIV debut and was tied for the lead until a bogey-bogey finish.

This is the third season of LIV Golf. It plays this week in Las Vegas, site of the Super Bowl, with a 54-hole event ending on Saturday. The PGA Tour is 300 miles away at the WM Phoenix Open.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Rocket Mortgage Classic

Detroit Golf Club

America’s 100 Greatest Holes

PGA Championship turns in surprising Sunday TV viewership numbers

Maddie Meyer/PGA of America

Television ratings for the final round of the 2023 PGA Championship probably don’t rank very high among the things that Brooks Koepka cares about. That’s different for the network that broadcasted that round, CBS, and the viewership numbers being reported from Sunday’s action at Oak Hill Country Club.

RELATED: Tiger Woods officially withdraws from the U.S. Open

According to Sports Business Journal and Sports Media Watch, CBS drew an average of 4.517 million viewers for Koepka's win on Sunday, the lowest number for a final round of a PGA Championship on CBS since 2008, when Padraig Harrington outlasted Sergio Garcia and Ben Curtis at Oakland Hills for his third major title.

As compared to 2022, when Justin Thomas beat Will Zalatoris in a playoff at Southern Hills, the viewership average was down 14 percent from 5.27 million, which seems surprising given some of the similarities in the action that transpired. Last year, Thomas emerged from a pack that included Zalatoris, Cameron Young and Matt Fitzpatrick, in addition to Mito Pereira, who suffered a brutal collapse at the 72nd hole. In other words, the 2022 PGA had a lot of things going for it.

RELATED: Watch the moment Michael Block's caddie figured out just how much he made at the PGA

But one could say this year's PGA had a similar level of excitement brewing. You had Koepka completing his comeback tour—and the narrative of a LIV golfer trying to win a major—while battling a rising star in Viktor Hovland down the stretch. Scottie Scheffler made a Sunday charge, Bryson DeChambeau was lurking and Rory McIlroy hung around. Oh, and did we mention the fairytale story that was (and still is) Michael Block? To think that all those factors led to a 15-year low ratings number is quite stunning.

According to Sports Media Watch, the viewership average for Saturday's third round at Oak HIll was 3.22 million, down 11 percent from 2022 (3.62 million) and the lowest since 2017 (3.21 million).

These numbers are in contrast to the numbers for CBS from last month’s Masters, where the final round was the most-watched golf telecast on an U.S. network in five years. And the following week, the ratings for final round of the RBC Heritage (a designated event, mind you) on CBS were up 13 percent from 2022.

More from Golf Digest

Trending now.

9 Golf Viewership Statistics That Drive The Industry

Updated:  Mar 06, 2024

Casinos For 🇺🇸🇬🇧🇨🇦 Players

One of the world’s most-watched sports is golf. Despite the absence of screaming fans and action-packed scenes, this stroke of a play still manages to draw viewers across America and Europe.

The 2023 Masters peaked at approximately 15 million viewers between 7:00 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. EST, with an average of around 12.06 million viewers during the match.

Find out how golf viewership statistics change over time and why despite being a sport for the elite, it still maintains its vast fanbase attracting all age brackets.

Highlights of the Article

• ADT reached 423 million viewers in the APAC region broadcasting through 27 sports channels.
• LIV is up for a good start; its TV debut recorded average viewers of less than 300,000.
• 16.251 million combined total viewers tuned in to The Masters 2023 Finals.
• 15% of women watch golf sometimes or often as of mid-2022
• In 2022, LIV golf piqued the interest of 71% of people aged 18-34 .
• Mid- to high-income individuals make up 74% of golf viewers.
• PGA Tour 2023 saw a 31% increase in social media engagement.
• 2.9 viewer ratings in U.S. Open Finals 2022, a record low for U.S. Open since 1988.

How Many People Watch Golf?

Jon Rahm’s victory recorded 15.02 million viewers during the 2023 PGA Masters Tournament at Augusta. On average, there were 12 million people who watched the finals; this is a 19% bump in the 2022 Masters Finals, where Scottie Scheffler won.

The CW Network reported that the average number of viewers for the LIV Golf 2023 was under 300,000 . This is low compared to the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic finals broadcasted the same day on NBC, which averaged 2.38 million viewers.

The following section will give you insights into viewership statistics of golfing events. It will explain the factors driving these numbers and their significance to the tournament and the broadcasting networks.

Golf Viewership Statistic Worldwide

Golf is among the world’s most popular sports , with approximately 450 million fans. The sport is most prevalent in Europe, Asia and the Pacific, and the North American region.

Below are global stats on golf viewership to help you identify where the sport is most followed.

1. ADT 2022 broadcast reached 423 million viewers in the APAC region.

(Danang Leisure, AB Magazine)

Golf’s popularity in Asia is on the rise. Asian Development Tour has been held since 2010, only temporarily stopping during the pandemic. In 2022, ADT was expected to set 19 tournaments held in:

• Saudi Arabia
• United Arab Emirates (UAE)

It was expected that around 140 professional golfers would participate in the competition. The tour was broadcast on 27 local and international sports channels, reaching:

• 423 million viewers in the APAC region
• 380 million worldwide viewers.

One of the critical factors in the rise of the popularity of golf in the region is that Asian consumers start to turn to leisure activities as they get richer. The number of courses tripled in less than a decade in China alone.

2. The PGA Tour 2023 recorded over 1.7 million audiences more than LIV Golf.

(The Athletic)

LIV had its TV debut this year. In its second season, held at Mayakoba, almost 300,000 watched the tournament on CW. That amount is just a seventh of viewers of the weekend broadcast of the PGA Tour on NBC, with 2.4 million viewers.

Despite the big gap, LIV’s first broadcast showed a promising start. Although it may take some time for LIV’s viewership and ratings to be at par with PGA, LIV and CW’s partnership shows excellent potential.

CW ranked 25th in the US in 2022 with 574,000 average daily viewers after the changes in management and to its original programming, focused on teens and young-adult.

3. The Masters 2023 toppled PGA Tours and LIV by averaging over 12 million viewers.

(Sportskeeda)

During over five hours of broadcast, The Masters reached 16.25 million combined total viewers. The final round peaked at over 15 million viewers between 7:00-7:15 p.m. EST and averaged 12.06 viewers.

Golf Viewer Demographic Statistic

People refer to golf as the “ Rich Man’s Sport. ” This is due to the costs linked with playing. The sporting gear and equipment, membership fees, and even travel to golf courses will cost you a fortune.

Being dominated by male adult athletes , viewer demographics are leaning toward more middle-aged mid-to-high-income adult men. But, with the increase in female athletes and younger generations taking an interest in the sport, viewer trends are shifting.

Explore the profile of golf fanatics and see how the dominance of a particular group, based on demographics, affects viewership.

4. Only 15% of women watch golf sometimes or often as of June 2022.

(Statistica, National Golf Foundation)

Between 2019-2022, the number of women playing golf increased by 15%. Despite the increase of women playing golf, viewership is still predominantly men.

For respondents that answered often or sometimes, males make up 66%, while females are only 34%. This is consistent with the number of players, where 77% are male.

5. 71% of ages 18-34 followed LIV Golf in 2022.

(The Bay State Banner)

Non-traditional tournaments like exhibitions and LIV golf thrive in the younger generation. 71% of the respondents, aged 18-34, follow LIV Golf.

Meanwhile, PGA’s rating in the same age bracket is dwindling. 80% of Gen Zs claim that they do not like golf at all. Only 18% of those aged 18-34 consider themselves casual fans.

All sports attract this age bracket. As the younger generation takes over, sports organizations must capture their attention. This is to ensure that the industry will continue.

6. Golf viewers with an annual income of 70,000 and above make up 74% of the audience.

(Wichita State University)

Many of the world’s wealthiest are known to be golfers. Though this does not directly impact the income level of fans and viewers, 74% were discovered to be earning mid-to high-income.

Of the total respondents:

• 22.2% have an average income of $70,000-$99,999
• 37.9% have an average income of $100,000-$199,000
• 14% have an average income of $200,000 or more

Golf Viewership Statistic by Year

The number of fans watching golf fluctuates year-on-year. Tiger Wood’s winning match in 1997 reached 44 million viewers , the most-watched game ever recorded.

Meanwhile, the 2023 Masters peaked at 15.021 million between 7:00 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. ET, with an average of approximately 12 million viewers.

Take a look at the number of viewers in the major tournaments year-on-year.

7. Viewership for the PGA tour sees a 31% uptick in social media engagement in 2023.

(Front Office Sports)

PGA Tour viewership has seen an uplift of numbers across the board this year, with social media having the highest uptick by 31%. Other channels reported:

• 15% increase – Golf Channel
• 4% increase – CBS
• 19% increase – Masters Finals
• 3% increase – NBC

This shows that support from fans of the PGA Tour is increasing yearly.

8. U.S. Open 2022 recorded a 2.9 rating, the lowest since 1988.

9.2 million tuned in during Matt Fitzpatrick’s final hole, the highest viewership of the U.S. Open championship since 2013.

Ratings crashed to 2.9, a record low since the 1988 U.S. Open Championship. Despite this, the tournament is still the fourth most-watched event in 2022. The top 3 most-watched matches in 2022 are:

• PGA Championship (Final round)
• Masters (Third round)
• Masters (Final round)

9. US TV Networks recorded a 16% increase in total audience delivery during the Open Championship in 2022.

(NBC Sports)

150th Open Championship reached Total Audience Delivery of 2.5 million viewers across NBC, USA Network, and Peacock. This sets a 16% increase in TAD in 2021 and a 27% increase in 2019.

The 2022 Open Championship is the most-streamed golf event in NBC Sports history. Streaming reached 262 million minutes for all rounds.

The four rounds of the event were the most-watched sports event on their respective days. The finals averaged a TAD of 4.725 million viewers, a 12% increase from 2021, and peaked from 1:30-1:45 p.m. ET with more than 7.1 million viewers.

The statistics show that Golf is not just famous for the elite but is still steadily growing in players, fans, and viewership.

The Asian region shows a significant increase in people interested in the sport. Events such as LIV Golf help gain younger viewers. The challenge lies in enticing more women, younger people, and lower-income people to participate in the sport as viewers or players. 

Golf viewers and players have been predominantly mid to high-income men for years. It is essential to reach a broader market to increase viewership and keep the sport alive.

PGA viewers on regular weeks are averaging 2 million viewers. Championships can reach more than 10 million viewers.

Globally, there are approximately 450 million fans of golf.

Tiger Wood’s most famous victory in Augusta in 1997 recorded 44 million viewers, the most-watched tournament ever.

Yes. Major golf tournaments have seen a significant increase in viewership in 2022 and 2023 compared to previous years.

• Danang Leisure
• AB Magazine
• The Athletic
• Sportskeeda
• National Golf Foundation
• The Bay State Banner
• Wichita State University
• Front Office Sports
• River’s Edge

Once wrote serious life-saving stuff for the government, now unleashes his inner geek on the blog world. When not taking a deep dive into comics and video game lore or performing music, he dreams of chilling in a cold, cozy spot with a beer in his hand – probably somewhere the government won't find him. Sports and gaming enthusiast by day, cartoon and gastronomy detective by night.

• Setup Login
• Subscribe to SBJ

PGA Tour's designated events paying off for broadcasters

The major schedule changes implemented by the PGA Tour this season are paying off in spades as it relates to viewership figures in 2023, as NBC, Golf Channel and CBS are all seeing increases as the Tour hits the meat of its season. The Tour this year introduced new “designated” events with higher purses and more FedExCup points in an apparent response to the rival LIV Golf League, and numbers for those events specifically have seen strong increases over 2022.

Of the six designated events to date, five have seen viewership increases over last year for their final rounds, which is what tournaments typically are judged on. The only designated event not to feature a year-over-year bump is the limited-field Sentry Tournament of Champions in January, when Collin Morikawa carried a six-shot lead into the final day, only to be surpassed by eventual champion Jon Rahm.

Through seven events, NBC is up 3% over 2022 with a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 2.272 million viewers (2.216 million in 2022). Golf Channel is up 9% to date through 15 events, with a TAD of 519,000 viewers (478,000 in 2022). On NBC, the Honda Classic and WGC Dell Match Play were the most-watched in four years, while the Valspar Championship hit a five-year high.

Through four PGA Tour events (excluding the Masters), CBS is averaging 2.591 million viewers, up 4% compared to the same point in 2022. CBS did draw 12.06 million viewers on Sunday for the final round of the Masters, a 19% increase over last year and the most-watched golf telecast on any network since 2018.

NBC’s coverage of the men’s game is largely done for 2023, save for major events including the U.S. Open, Open Championship and Ryder Cup this fall in Italy. This marks the first year CBS will carry all FedExCup Playoffs events.

The Tour’s increases are not restricted to tournament coverage. Average weekly digital visitors to pgatour.com were up 8% in Q1 compared to 2022 as the Tour rolled out a new website in February. The Tour also launched a new app this spring, and the number of iOS downloads of it were up 60% in Q1. Socially speaking, video views across the Tour’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube channels were up 31% compared to last year.

Without disclosing exact figures, ESPN said streaming of PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ was up “significantly” for the first three months of the year, while noting the Genesis Invitational and Players Championship were the most-watched PGA Tour events ever on ESPN+.

LIV Golf appeared to make a concerted effort to target the PGA Tour’s events with less star power with its schedule this year. LIV has held three events in 2023: in Mexico (Feb. 24-26), Tucson (March 17-19) and two weeks ago in Orlando. The PGA Tour saw year-over-year declines for two of those events, with the final round broadcast of the Valero Texas Open (-22%) and Honda Classic (-8%) both down, going up against LIV Orlando and Mexico, respectively. For LIV Tucson, going up against the Valspar Championship, the Tour saw a 5% increase in the final round with Jordan Spieth in contention.

The PGA Tour has another designated event this week with the RBC Heritage, which tees off in South Carolina tomorrow.

NOTES: * = Monday finish. ^ = Designated event

• Executive Transactions
• International
• Events and Attractions
• Labor and Agents
• People and Pop Culture
• Sports and Society

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: July 3, 2024

Bold-face investors for Angel City FC; Sights and sounds from Nashville and hat tips

Univision’s Lindsay Casinelli, NFL’ Sunday Ticket’ lawsuit, Jimmy Pitaro’s looming decisions

Sbj presents: bay fc ceo brady stewart sponsored by visit san jose, tom friend on what espn's main nba booth could look like without jj redick, george killebrew talks new role as cro of united pickleball association, andrea hopelain interview.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2023/04/12/Media/pga-tour-viewership-cbs-nbc-golf-channel-espn.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

Register for a free SBJ account to unlock one extra article per month.

© 2024 Leaders Group. All rights reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Leaders Group.

Already a subscriber? Click below to sign in.

Upgrade your subscription to get all the news you need:

Adding SBJ weekly content will give you the comprehensive view of sports business with:

• Award-winning original reporting, with in-depth profiles, timely research and expert opinions on the biggest issues and stories in sports business.
• 49 print issues delivered to your home or office.
• Access to easy-to-read digital editions of weekly issues.
• More than two decades of archival stories, profiles, research and data.

Adding SBJ daily content will give you the comprehensive view of sports business with:

• Daily updates aggregating the stories and spin from more than 600 outlets across the globe.
• Timely, daily updates provide the latest developments and news relied upon by industry leaders.
• The latest personnel hires and promotions, plus exclusive ratings and research from the sports industry.

Example Domain

This domain is for use in illustrative examples in documents. You may use this domain in literature without prior coordination or asking for permission.

More information...

• SI SWIMSUIT

2024 PGA Tour Player Survey: What’s the Best Weekly Perk on Tour?

Art stricklin | jul 2, 2024.

Earlier this summer Sports Illustrated surveyed a number of PGA Tour players about a range of topics around golf, from tournaments with the best food to rules suggestions to golf-viewing habits, and much more. We think you’ll enjoy the answers.

Previous topics: Paying to play | Best food on Tour | Bucket-list courses | Best rookie advice

Today’s question: 

What’s the best weekly perk on Tour?

“It’s a close race between the laundry service and the courtesy car, both are pretty nice.” — Adam Scott “We drive some pretty nice cars.” — Stewart Cink “There are a lot of them, but cars are pretty nice.” — Akshay Bhatia “The cars we drive are really great.” — Daniel Berger

“Wow, how much time do you have? It’s a long list. Childcare has to be number one. You couldn’t travel out here with your kids if tournaments didn’t have childcare.” — Zach Johnson “Everybody is so nice to you, everywhere you go.” — Jason Day “The free food we eat every week is pretty good.” — Ryan Palmer “When they close down the zoo in Columbus (Ohio) for a private PGA Tour party, that’s pretty cool. My kids love that.” — Keegan Bradley  

“Uh, money is not bad.” — Matt Kuchar “The Fitness and Recovery Center are pretty great. That didn’t have anything that big when I first came on Tour.” — Aaron Baddeley “There are a lot of them.” — Mackenzie Hughes “We have people literally waiting on us every week to do anything, you can think of week to week at these tournaments.” — Tom Hoge “The courtesy cars are really hard to beat.” — Gary Woodland “Everybody wants to do everything they can for you at any time.” — Tony Finau

ART STRICKLIN

Art Stricklin is an award-winning golf writer based in Dallas and the president of the Texas Golf Writers Association. He spent more than a decade working for Texas newspapers. Stricklin is the author of 10 books, including, “Thanks for the Memories,” on the history of Northwood Club in Dallas, and “Links, Lore & Legends: The Story of Texas Golf.” He has become one of Texas’ foremost experts on golf history and travel, having witnessed a countless number of professional and amateur golf tournaments in the state. His work has been published in regional, national and international titles, including Sports Illustrated, Connoisseur Golf, Golf Magazine, Texas Monthly, Global Golf Post, D Magazine and Texas Golfer Magazine. Email: [email protected]; Twitter: @artstricklin

How to watch 2024 PGA Travelers Championship: ESPN+ schedule

While the Travelers Championship -- the last signature event of the year -- won't feature Rory McIlroy , it will include Scottie Scheffler . The No. 1 golfer in the world seeks his sixth PGA Tour win of the season. The Travelers will be held at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, and will feature a $20 million total purse, including $3.6 million to the winner. Keegan Bradley looks to become the first player to win the Travelers in back-to-back years since Phil Mickelson in 2001-02.

Here are key facts to know about the 2024 event.

When is the Travelers Championship?

It runs Thursday to Sunday.

How can fans watch?

Fans can catch the tournament on ESPN+ via the ESPN streaming hub .

What is the schedule?

*All times Eastern

Thursday : Coverage starts at 7:30 a.m.

Friday : Coverage starts at 7:30 a.m.

Saturday : Coverage starts at 7:30 a.m.

Sunday : Coverage starts at 7:30 a.m.

There will be traditional PGA Tour live coverage each day with main feed, marquee group, featured groups and featured holes.

Which top players will be playing in the event?

▪︎ Xander Schauffele

▪︎ Viktor Hovland

▪︎ Ludvig Åberg

▪︎ Collin Morikawa

▪︎ Patrick Cantlay

How can fans access other golf content from ESPN?

Check out the ESPN golf hub pag e for breaking news , in-depth profiles , rankings , scores , schedules and more.

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share by Email

How LIV Golf’s ratings fared in its network TV debut

• Follow on Twitter
• Follow on Instagram

Dustin Johnson rolls a putt during last week's tournament at Mayakoba.

Getty Images

As Chris Kirk and Eric Cole faced off in a playoff at the Honda Classic on Sunday evening, the PGA Tour’s rival league was battling it out in Mexico, putting a bow on its first event of 2023. LIV Golf’s debut tournament of its second season was at Mayakoba , a former PGA Tour stop, but it was also broadcast on TV, a first for LIV following its January announcement that it had struck a deal with The CW.

It was a major step for LIV Golf, which in Year 1 was only streamed on YouTube and LIV’s own website. But as for LIV’s much-anticipated TV debut? The ratings left much to be desired.

The Saturday and Sunday broadcasts drew an average of 289,000 viewers and a .18 household rating. In comparison, the PGA Tour’s weekend broadcasts on NBC brought in just over 2 million viewers and averaged a 1.24 household rating — nearly seven-times as many viewers as LIV.

Although it’s not necessarily a fair comparison at this point. The PGA Tour is established and LIV Golf is in just its second season and with its first TV deal. LIV Golf’s first-round action on Friday won’t be broadcast on The CW — just the weekend rounds — and the network’s many markets aren’t required to pick up the coverage. Several, at least for this first event, did not.

According to the Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand, 26 markets carried the Saturday coverage.

Oof: 0.2 overnight rating for LIV golf in the 26 metered markets that carried it on CW. — John Ourand (@Ourand_Puck) February 26, 2023

But the first-event numbers have not deterred Nexstar, The CW’s parent company.

According to The Hollywood Reporter , Nexstar CEO Perry Sook discussed the ratings on an earnings call on Tuesday.

“Those numbers exceeded our expectations and, and most importantly, the affiliates as well as our own stations were thrilled,” said Sook, who added that 1.4 million people watched at least a few minutes on either The CW app or the broadcast during the three-day tournament. “I know that our affiliates and CW affiliates in the top 10 markets generated about three times the amount of money that the network generated for this first outing, and so it’s selling very well, and you know, and I think will continue to grow as we get more into the season and more involved.”

The CW extends to more than 120 million U.S. households. LIV Golf’s chief media officer Will Staeger spoke to GOLF’s James Colgan about the deal last month and said that kind of reach is crucial to LIV Golf extending its viewership.

“There’s a strong promotional commitment the CW is going to put into place. Virtually everybody within the organization, from executive ranks on down, is enthusiastic about our products, and they expressed that really early on. They share our vision,” Staeger said. “Being their first sport, I think that enhances the situation. In a way, we’re being treated like the NFL for them. So I think that will help the ratings, and that’ll help the growth of our viewership.”

LIV Golf’s second tournament of its 14-event schedule is March 17-19 at The Gallery Golf Club in Tucson, Ariz.

Latest In News

Heroic walk-off hole-out earns 389th-ranked pro spot in open championship, 2024 john deere classic thursday tee times: round 1 groupings, open championship final qualifying: see who made it to royal troon, ‘you’re always right’: sergio garcia scolds officials in failed open qualifying attempt, josh berhow.

As GOLF.com’s managing editor, Berhow handles the day-to-day and long-term planning of one of the sport’s most-read news and service websites. He spends most of his days writing , editing, planning and wondering if he’ll ever break 80. Before joining GOLF.com in 2015, he worked at newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. A graduate of Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn., he resides in the Twin Cities with his wife and two kids. You can reach him at [email protected].

• Author Twitter Account
• Author Instagram Account

Related Articles

2024 john deere classic: how to watch, tv coverage, streaming info, tee times, liv pro wins second-straight senior major, credits liv for improved play, 2024 john deere classic odds: up-and-coming pro is our long shot in illinois, cam davis wins rocket mortgage classic after akshay bhatia's shocking 3-putt, 2024 rocket mortgage classic money: here’s how much every player made , cameron young loses it on driver, snaps shaft with five holes to go, the reason why this tour leader uses iron covers will melt your heart, watch, play, win.

Chirp Golf is your home for the best of real money Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) and Free-To-Play games. Featuring simple to play. easy to learn, and fun games. Chirp Golf has something for every golf fan.

Scan to Download:

Expert Picks: Rocket Mortgage Classic

Expert Picks

Change Text Size

How it works: Each week, our experts from PGATOUR.COM will make their selections in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf. Each lineup consists of four starters and two bench players that can be rotated after each round. Adding to the challenge is that every golfer can be used only three times per each of four Segments.

Aside from the experts below, Golfbet Insider Rob Bolton breaks down the field at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in this week's edition of Power Rankings .

Betting picks

Odds were sourced on Tuesday, June 25. For live odds, visit BetMGM .

WILL GRAY (Lead, Fantasy & Betting)

• Winner: Taylor Pendrith (+2800) – Now a proven winner with a long game and putting stroke to scare others when he gets hot.
• Top 10: Patton Kizzire (+1400) – Call me crazy but with top-30s in four of his last five starts I think this two-time TOUR winner might be ready for a big week. Ranks sixth on TOUR in SG: Approach.
• Longshot: Ryan Fox (+5000) – Recently showed he has the game to contend at the RBC Canadian Open and is one of the better putters on TOUR (27th).
• Head-to-Head (H2H): Aaron Rai (-105) over Alex Noren – Both Europeans are place market contenders from week to week and both were T9 here a year ago but with Noren missing a few cuts of late Rai gets the nod.

BEN EVERILL (Senior writer, Fantasy & Betting)

• Winner: Cameron Young (+1400) – Arguably the best player on TOUR without a victory so it’s time to take him off the list. In form coming in and a runner up previously on this track. Will need to make some putts though which is why many are fading his price. Might be a wait and see type number.
• Top 10: Taylor Pendrith (+250) – I really like Pendrith as an outright contender also given his high ranking in Strokes Gained: Putting, the rediscovery of his long game after shoulder issues, plus the confidence of a recent win on TOUR.
• Longshot: Chris Kirk (+5000) – Four top 21s at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in the past plus a very good Tee-to-Green game make Kirk a must for my card in some capacity. Also ranks second on TOUR for approaches inside 125-yards of which there will be a few this week.
• H2H: Cameron Young (+115) over Tom Kim – All the sharp money appears to be heading to Kim after his awesome week at Travelers but I’m expecting a letdown in his ninth consecutive event.

CHRIS BREECE (Senior content manager, Golfbet)

• Winner: Davis Thompson (+3300) – Past results at this event say the winner will be in good recent form. Among Thompson’s last five events he has finishes of T2, T9 and T17. It will be a putting shoot out this week. While he is an average putter statistically, he has the ability to get hot on the greens.
• Top 10: Chris Kirk (+400) – His production on this course stands out with three straight finishes inside the top 17.
• Longshot: Troy Merritt (+12500) – Technically, he is the horse for the course here. The last four years he has gone 2nd, 8th, 14th and 17th.
• H2H: Akshay Bhatia (+100) over Min Woo Lee – I’m not sure how Bhatia is the underdog here. At the very least he will show some similar form to last week’s high finish.

MATT DELVECCHIO (Social content manager, Fantasy & Betting)

• Winner: Akshay Bhatia (+2000) – Akshay Bhatia is the best player in the field. He is the third favorite in odds and the gap between him at third and Cam Young at second is large. I'll say it again, the books continue to insult Bhatia with these outright numbers. 80/1 last week proved to be the wrong number with how close he came, now 20/1 in a field where he is clealry the best player needs to be taken advantage of. Back Bhatia this week.
• Top-10: Alejandro Tosti (+700) – It’s been awhile since we’ve seen Tosti on TOUR (Charles Schwab Challenege almost a month ago where he finished T17). I believe his absense has boosted his value a bit because of the unknowns with how he’ll perform coming back. He drove the ball great in Texas and had the iron game to support (gained +1.72 true strokes per round with approach game). He should come back and contend this week.
• Longshot: Jake Knapp (+10000) – He’s a rising star who has seen some early success in his career. I think his run will continue and this week feels like a week we see him pop up again come Sunday.
• H2H: Akshay Bhatia (+100) over Min Woo Lee – The better player is the underdog… Min Woo Lee has been on a hot stretch but he’s not as good as Akshay. Back the dog.

THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN OUR EXPERTS? The PGA TOUR Experts league is once again open to the public. You can play our free fantasy game and see how you measure up against our experts.

Joining the league is simple. Just click here to sign up or log in. Once you create a team, click the "LEAGUES" tab. Then click on "FEATURED," and then on the PGA TOUR Experts league that populates.

*Brett Jungles joined the Expert Picks league at the beginning of Segment 1 and did not accumulate any points from the FedExCup Fall.

For resources to overcome a gambling problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER today.

More From Forbes

John deere classic 2024 golf odds, betting preview, picks and props.

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

The 2024 John Deere Classic July 4-7 at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois. (Photo by Michael ... [+] Cohen/Getty Images)

The John Deere Classic begins on the Fourth of July and a big week here in Las Vegas with the start of the World Series of Poker World Championship “Main Event” and more record attendance for the WNBA Aces-Fever clash . A longstanding staple on the PGA Tour since the early 1970’s, the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, IL features bentgrass fairways and greens. It plays to 7,289 yards and Par 71 with plenty of fireworks and low scores.

While the “Run Like a Deere” PGA tournament doesn’t draw the best players to the event with the upcoming Open Championship in Scotland, this year’s event did draw seven of the top-40 players in the world golf rankings to tee-it-up across four days July 4-7.

The leading online sportsbooks odds vary, and Sungjae Im has been bet down as the favorite. He has three top-10 finishes in his last four starts, but hasn’t played TPC Deere Run since 2021 with a best finish of T26 in two starts.

Key Ball Striking, Approach and Around the Green strokes gained stats are part of the model this week with Birdies or Better Gained guiding you towards more winners and top finishing position performances.

Leading Favorites Odds to Win 2023 John Deere Classic

Leading favorites and contenders golf odds from FanDuel Sportsbook refresh periodically and are subject to change, including on props and live betting.

Netflix’s Best New Show Has A Perfect 100% Critic Score

Are those dragon eggs in ‘house of the dragon’ the ones daenerys has in ‘game of thrones’, biden vs. trump 2024 election polls: biden approval rating hits new low—but trump’s lead is mostly unchanged, survey shows.

• +1400: Sungjae Im (+160, Top-10)
• +1600: Sepp Straka (+170) - defending champion
• +2000: Jordan Spieth, Denny McCarthy, Aaron Rai (+185 to +200)
• +2500: Davis Thompson (+220)
• +2800: Maverick McNealy (+250)
• +3000: Keith Mitchell (+250)
• +3300: Jason Day (+290)
• +3500: JT Poston, Nick Dunlap (+290)
• +4200: Adam Svensson, Luke Clanton
• +4500: Seamus Power, Lucas Glover, Kevin Yu
• +5000: Sam Stevens
• +5500: Eric Cole
• +6000: Patrick Rodgers, Doug Ghim, Daniel Berger
• +6000: Beau Hossler, Ben Griffin, Mark Hubbard
• +6500: Lee Hodges, Ryo Hisatsune
• +7500: Adam Schenk, Jhonattan Vegas
• +8000: Joel Dahman, Neal Shipley
• +9000: Andrew Novak, Jake Knap
• +10000: Patton Kizzire
• +11000: Alex Smalley, Michael Thorbjornsen, Greyson Sigg
• +11000: Davis Riley, Chandler Phillips, Thorbjørn Olesen, Michael Kim
• 72-Hole Winning Score: Over/Under 263.5 (Par 71)

The three most recent winners are all in field and the winning score has been -18 under par or better every year since 2009. Sepp Straka (-21), J.T. Poston (-21), Lucas Glover (-19).

Responsible Gambling

Betting on longshots.

This is one of the most open events on the PGA Tour rotation, and a good week to fire at some longshots. Props and top finishing position bets with more favorable odds offer bigger payoffs knowing that a hot putter, above-average ball-striking and strong strokes gained approach play will position players on the leaderboard.

John Deere Classic Golf Picks

See golf odds to win and leading golf analysts and contributors picks to win and top finishing position as available by Wednesday along with tee times.

• GolfBet : Maverick McNealy (2), Denny McCarthy, Seamus Power and top-10 Jordan Spieth, Mark Hubbard, Davis Thompson, Eric Cole
• SportingLife : Sungjae Im, Denny McCarthy, Seamus Power and longshots Patton Kizzire, Ben Kohles
• FanDuel : Sepp Straka, Maverick McNealy, J.T. Poston, Mark Hubbard
• Golf Digest : Sungjae Im, Luke Clanton, Patrick Rodgers and more Wednesday
• Golf Week : Denny McCarthy, Lucas Glover, Adam Svensson and longshots Jake Knapp, Joel Dahmen

Notable Tournament match-ups and odds for the John Deere Classic

Tournament and daily matchups and finishing position odds and props from FanDuel and top online sportsbooks vary.

• Sungjae Im (-145) vs. Jordan Spieth (+125)
• McCarthy (-115) vs. Thompson (-115)
• McNealy (-130) vs. Mitchell (+105)
• Straka (-110) vs. Rai (-110)
• Cole (-115) vs. Griffin (-115)
• Day (-115) vs. Svensson (-110)
• Stevens (-120) vs. Hodges (+100)

Looking for Luke Clanton in matchups when offered. Big bomber who can putt and finished T10 in the Rocket Mortgage Classic last week in his second career start.

How To Watch The John Deere Classic

Tournament July 4-7. Thursday and Friday tee times and groups. All times Eastern.

• Thursday-Friday: 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel/Peacock)
• Saturday-Sunday: 1-3 p.m. ( Golf Channel ), 3 -6 p.m. (CBS)
• Streaming online coverage on PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ (7am-6pm), Paramount+, Peacock plus SiriusXM Radio channel 92 (1-6pm)

If you enjoy betting on golf or playing in daily fantasy golf leagues and pools, then Golfstats.com is a club to put in your bag and bookmark as your course guide to each PGA Tour event. The site provides golf stats and weekly Tour insight with tournament previews and player performance charts. I also use FantasyNational.com for additional stats and player comparisions as a useful ‘birdie’ guide along with advanced stats from datagolf.com , which provide key stats, live models and updates and advanced betting tools to assist you when watching and wagering on golf including daily fantasy (DFS).

Check out more players golf odds and tournament coverage of the 2024 John Deere Classic and weekly PGA Tour events as betting on golf continues to be a most popular sport offering more ways to win.

You can bet on it.

MORE FROM FORBES

• Editorial Standards
• Reprints & Permissions

Join The Conversation

One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts. 

Forbes Community Guidelines

Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space.

In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site's  Terms of Service.   We've summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil.

Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain:

• False or intentionally out-of-context or misleading information
• Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language or threats of any kind
• Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author
• Content that otherwise violates our site's  terms.

User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in:

• Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected
• Racist, sexist, homophobic or other discriminatory comments
• Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk
• Actions that otherwise violate our site's  terms.

So, how can you be a power user?

• Stay on topic and share your insights
• Feel free to be clear and thoughtful to get your point across
• ‘Like’ or ‘Dislike’ to show your point of view.
• Protect your community.
• Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules.

Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site's  Terms of Service.