Scottie Scheffler. Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

Players Championship TV ratings paint a grim picture for the PGA Tour

By Jack Dougherty | Last updated 3/22/24

The 2024 Players Championship had everything golf fans could've asked for in a professional golf tournament. The final round had superstars littering the top of the leaderboard. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler made a furious comeback with near-perfect golf and a dramatic back 9 that built up to a jaw-dropping finish at TPC Sawgrass.

The PGA Tour needed the Players Championship after numerous weeks of dull final rounds and lesser-known winners to begin the season. Only it didn't reel fans back in.

According to Sports Business Journal, the Sunday broadcast on NBC drew only 3.53 million viewers, down from 4.14 million last year. It was the lowest-rated final round of the Players Championship since 2014. That's a glaring indictment on the PGA Tour, which was already having a down year in terms of TV ratings.

weekend top viewership:

NCAA selection show, CBS: 5.9m
NASCAR Bristol, FOX: 3.8M
Wisconsin/Illinois, CBS: 3.65m
Sunday PGA Players, NBC: 3.5m
NC State/North Carolina, ESPN: 3.2m
— Sports TV Ratings (@SportsTVRatings) March 19, 2024

The 2024 Players Championship couldn't have been more different than the 2023 tournament, besides the champion, of course. Last year, Scheffler cruised to a drama-free, five-shot victory that was never in doubt on Sunday afternoon and that still outperformed this year's tournament that came down to the final putt.

Scheffler started last week's final round five strokes back of the lead. He holed his approach shot from 92 yards out for an eagle on the par-4 fourth hole, and you knew it was on. On his way home, the 27-year-old racked up six more birdies to post an 8-under 64 and grab the outright lead. Just when you thought the tournament was over, Wyndham Clark birdied 16 and 17 to climb one back of Scheffler. The World No. 4 gave himself a makeable birdie look on the par-4 18th, and his tying attempt did a 360 around the hole in the most brutal lip-out you'll ever see.

It was a thrilling finish to the PGA Tour's flagship event, but fans still weren't interested. The absence of Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, Brooks Koepka and other LIV Golf stars clearly contributed to the plummeting TV ratings, but there isn't a quick solution to that problem. A deal with PIF might be the only way for the PGA Tour to stop the bleeding.

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