Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler’s showdown with Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau resulted in the second-lowest TV ratings in ‘The Match’ series history, serving as a stark warning to both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.

The PGA Tour’s McIlroy and Scheffler triumphed over LIV’s Koepka and DeChambeau in Las Vegas, easily outperforming their rivals in the televised matchplay event. Despite the high-profile lineup, the event failed to captivate fans, with Sports Business Journal reporting a mere 625,000 viewers across TNT and TBS in the United States.

This continues the trend of declining viewership numbers in men’s professional golf, with both the PGA Tour and LIV struggling to attract large audiences.

The PGA Tour averaged 2.2 million Sunday viewers for their non-major events in 2024, marking a 19 percent drop from the previous year. Meanwhile, LIV saw an average of just 89,000 viewers for their season finale in Chicago in September on The CW Network, where Jon Rahm clinched the year-long title and a £14.3 million ($18m) prize.

This pattern has persisted over the past two years, leaving the sport divided. Golf enthusiasts appear to be tuning out from the financial tug-of-war between the PGA Tour and the Saudi-backed LIV Golf, which has been heating up since LIV’s entrance in June 2022. As ‘The Match’ approached this Monday, players were vocal about their hopes for the event to symbolize a unification within the sport.

“This isn’t just a contest between some of golf’s major champions; it’s an event designed to energise the fans,” Rory McIlroy expressed before the event. “We’re all here to put on a great show and contribute to a goodwill event that brings the best together again.”

“We all want to see more of the best golfers in the world going head-to-head, battling it out on the back nine of a tournament. At a time where the professional game has felt divided, we believe this event can bring fans an incredible day of entertainment,” he continued.

Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau came up short against Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy

Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau came up short against Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy in the highly-anticipated ‘The Showdown’ ( 

Image:

Getty Images for The Showdown)

McIlroy also mentioned: “I think with everything that has went on, it was really about us saying, you know what, we’re going to take this into our own hands a little bit. And we’re going to do something basically outside of either tour, to give something back to the fans.”

“To show them, you know, at least let them know that we’re trying to provide entertainment … the players want to play together more often.”

Meanwhile, the PGA Tour is still in talks with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF), following the announcement of a preliminary agreement in June 2023.