Ever since Scott O’Neil has taken over LIV Golf as the CEO, the PIF-backed league has gone through some major changes in the 2025 season. Naming some of the changes, LIV Golf’s deal with FOX Sports opened up viewership to the US audience, additionally, the USGA created a pathway for LIV Golf players to give entry to two top majors of the 2025 season, i.e., the US Open and the Open Championship. These are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of changes in the league. However, it still faces a stall in this growing momentum.
“I know they’re an international tour, but at least in the US, I felt like their momentum stalled a little bit just because they were so international. They played their first four events of the year overseas. They didn’t get a ton of visibility in the US. We knew the ratings would not be good when they came,” said
Ben Griffin, recently, in the
YouTube podcast Dan on Golf. LIV Golf only recently secured its deal with FOX Sports, as before that, the US audience struggled to watch the events due to limited broadcasting distribution. Coupled with the fact that, as Griffin mentioned, LIV Golf’s motive of being an international tour led it to have the first four events of the season overseas, which meant limited viewership from the US. This is crucial because the fact that the majority of the golf fans are in the US. However, LIV Golf has been taking several steps to establish its presence on the field and change this predicament.
After Scott O’Neil became the CEO, LIV Golf was immediately able to strike a deal not only with FOX Sports but also with ITV, which means more fans from the UK and the US are now able to watch LIV Golf. Additionally, LIV Golf struck a major deal with Salesforce, a global leader in customer relationship management technology, making it one of the biggest partnerships LIV has secured so far. The deal was signed right before the PGA Championship. This partnership shows LIV Golf’s growing appeal to a wide range of companies, this will include Callaway, Ping, AG1, Reebok, Greyson, Air Asia, and Caseor. LIV Golf also established a global streaming partnership deal with DAZN. This includes a dedicated channel for LIV Golf and a paid subscription.
While these are certainly positive changes in terms of gaining a larger fanbase in the US, it’s still not enough to compete with the PGA Tour’s dominance. “The PGA Tour really has had a lot of success this spring and as you mentioned, they are on their front foot, from the corporate deals they have signed to their television ratings that have really bounced back from last year. They have been open about making changes. They have actually made some changes to their product. Right, that’s something, that the tour has been known in the past for being kind of stagnant and just happy with what they’ve always been doing and so they’ve made some changes to their product.” Tackling pace of play issues, more viewership by increasing 6-8 minutes of live golf as compared to last year, and making changes in the format of the Tour Championship this year, are just some of the changes that the PGA Tour has made this year by listening to what their fans are looking for.
Hence, the likes of LIV golfers, such as
Bryson DeChambeau and others, have to struggle much more in making sure that they are getting as many fans checking in live as much as the PGA Tour events. The PGA Tour has launched the PGA Tour Enterprises solely to manage the profit and commercial side of the business. Jay Monahan has made an agreement with Strategic Sports Group for an investment of $3 billion in two instalments of $ 1.5 billion. However, there are certain areas where LIV Golf is excelling more than the PGA Tour.
LIV Golf does better than the PGA Tour in certain aspects
It’s not surprising if major golf players are tempted by the offers made by LIV Golf. The signing of contracts for players by LIV Golf is among the biggest payouts in golf history. Players like Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson are paid a staggering $150 million and $2oo million to be a part of LIV, the prize money being separate. Unlike the PGA, whose schedule is packed with events throughout the year, LIV has its schedule completed by August at most. There are also enough breaks of at least 10 days between these events. LIV Golf has its events set up at various parts of the world, from South Korea to Mexico, resulting in the growth of the sport.
LIV’s format of entertainment appeals to a younger and more diverse audience due to its live music, fan zones that have games, and DJs, creating a lively atmosphere. This is in contrast to the traditional way of the PGA Tour, which in turn might result in the growth of the sport.
So, what can LIV Golf do to attract its US fans? Let us know in the comments below.
The post Analyst Reveals One Thing That Is Failing Bryson DeChambeau & Co. Against PGA Tour: ‘Their Momentum Stalled’ appeared first on EssentiallySports.
