The PGA Tour has been left reeling after the 2024 BMW Championships saw its TV ratings take a massive hit from last year, just like Rory McIlroy predicted would happen
Rory McIlroy has long been worried of the impact between the PGA and LIV Golf (
Image: Getty Images)
Golf’s ongoing rift with LIV Golf continues to take its toll on the PGA Tour, as evidenced by the dip in viewership for the 2024 BMW Championship compared to the previous year, a concern previously voiced by Rory McIlroy.
The star golfer had cautioned that the PGA’s bitter feud and legal wrangling with the renegade LIV Golf league could deter fans from tuning in. His words seemed prophetic as the 2024 BMW Championships at Castle Pines Golf Club in Colorado saw American Keegan Bradley triumph with a -12 across four rounds, but with significantly fewer eyes watching.
The championship suffered a substantial ratings slump, attracting just 2.446 million viewers across NBC, the Golf Channel, and streaming on Peacock.
This represents a stark decline of over 20% from the previous year when the event, featuring a comparable lineup and held at the same time, managed to pull in 3.034 million viewers.
McIlroy attributed the downturn to the PGA’s persistent conflict with LIV Golf: “If you look at the TV ratings of the PGA Tour this year, they’re down 20 percent across the board.
“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.
Keegan Bradley’s 2024 BMW Championship win was watched by fewer people than last year’s tournament ( Getty Images)
“I just think with the fighting and everything that’s gone on over the past couple of years, people are just getting fatigued, and it’s turning people off men’s professional golf, and that’s not a good thing for anyone.”
In 2023, Victor Hovland stormed to victory in the final round of the BMW Championship, playing nine-under to finish at -17 overall, leaving Scottie Scheffler trailing in second place at -15. Matt Fitzpatrick, Rory McIlroy, and Xander Schauffele all made it into the top 10.
The 2024 BMW Championship also saw its fair share of big names, with Tommy Fleetwood, Schauffele, and McIlroy all finishing within the top 12.
However, the BMW Championships are not alone in their struggle with dwindling ratings. Even major tournaments have taken a hit, with The Open Championship experiencing its worst ratings in ten years.
This year’s Masters only managed to surpass two other tournaments in terms of viewership over the past 30 years, those being the 2020 and 2021 editions which were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2024 FedEx St Jude Championship earlier this month saw a significant drop in viewers, with just 2.211 million tuning in compared to the 3.207 million who watched in 2023, marking a 30% decrease.
