In recent months, there has been a decline in TV viewership for the PGA Tour. Ian Poulter, who plays for LIV Golf, took to social media and didn’t miss an opportunity to take a shot at his competitor circuit.
Ian Poulter took a harsh dig at his opponents on the PGA Tour amidst the widely-publicized decline in television ratings for this US-based event.
In the 2024 season, dwindling viewership numbers on the PGA Tour have been a prevalent issue. The final round of February’s Waste Management Open experienced one of its most significant drops in TV ratings by declining 30 percent. Similarly, following a month later at the Arnold Palmer Invitational also saw reduced viewership with statistics dropping down to 15 percent less than usual.
Even the Players Championship, which is dubbed as golf’s fifth major and considered as the flagship event of the Tour faced a similar situation where TV ratings dropped by 10 percent compared to last year.
Perhaps the most unexpected event occurred at the recent Masters Tournament held in Augusta, where Scottie Scheffler emerged as a two-time winner of the coveted green jacket. However, what came as an even greater shock was that viewership during Sunday’s concluding round once again witnessed a decline of 20 percent; this is seen by many professionals within golfing circles to be an ominous trend for the sport’s upper echelons.
Majesticks star Poulter couldn’t resist a playful jab amidst the recent challenges. On Thursday, his previous DP World Tour associate Pablo Larazabal started it off when PGA Tour’s official X account nicknamed RBC Heritage player J.T. Poston ‘The Postman,’ which is closely associated with European icon Poulter.
“Looks like there’s only one Postman, isn’t that right @IanJamesPoulter?” tweeted Larazabal after watching the Tour highlight reel featuring Poston. Poulter responded by saying: “Don’t worry about it too much, Pablo.. It’s not worth your energy. If they think borrowing his footage will help their ratings for now, let them have it.”
Poulter is now aligned with the LIV Golf camp, amidst a recent separation in the sport that has led to hostility between the PGA Tour and Saudi-backed series. Consequently, Rory McIlroy – who used to play alongside Poulter at Ryder Cup events and voices his disapproval of LIV – attributed lower television ratings as an outcome of this feud.
According to McIlroy, the TV ratings for this year’s PGA Tour have decreased by 20 percent overall. This represents a significant fifth of viewership that has declined. Additionally, it appears that the numbers are not very impressive regarding individuals tuning in on LIV network as well. The exhaustive nature of recent events and controversies may be contributing factors leading people slowly towards exhaustion with golfing television programs which include fights among other things over the past few years or so.”
The current state of men’s professional golf is discouraging fans and this could have negative consequences for everyone involved. The upcoming major championships, except Augusta which seems to exist in a league of its own, will be an intriguing watch as they navigate through these challenges. PGA Tour player Max Homa has also expressed his disdain towards the recent financial competition within pro golf calling it ‘sickening’.