The 2024 PGA Tour calendar has found itself a victim of low TV ratings as well as coverage woes for a while now. Even Rory McIlroy issued a warning about the same during the Valero Texas Open when he commented on the fractured landscape in the sport. Fast forward to the Wells Fargo Championship, and the problems that plagued the men’s circuit seem to have found a solution or so deems the latest hype.

A tweet was shared by Flushing It on X (formerly Twitter), insinuating how the Jay Monahan-led circuit would “have a serious problem” if the trend of low ratings continues this week as well. Such a statement can’t help but make everyone wonder if McIlroy winning the tournament was all that was needed to help the PGA Tour.

The Northern Irishman propelled himself to victory with a dominant 5-stroke lead against Xander Schauffele who had placed himself at the top of the leaderboard from the first round till Saturday. He did so by scoring a 17-under 267 that included a total of 18 birdies and an eagle on the par-5, 7th hole, all the while earning a whopping $3.6 million.

Such a performance by Rory McIlroy, coupled with it being a signature event, showed signs of it being a more well-received tournament than the previous ones. This was much evident from the response of the community that followed the tweets as well when a user commented, “But they’re not down! Especially look at the gallery looked like a major on Saturday.” After the rain delay that took place on Thursday, hundreds of fans rushed into the Quail Hollow Golf Club sporting their umbrellas, jackets, and the like to stay dry.

If the speculated changes were to happen to the TV ratings as well as the viewership numbers, then it would be a truly fortunate situation for the PGA Tour. Especially so when they have been down 20% percent across the board(remember Rory McIlroy’s warning?).

Rory McIlroy’s statement paints a bleak situation in the PGA Tour

Even a victory from Scottie Scheffler, the current No. 1 on the OWGR, wasn’t enough to save the Tour’s dwindling viewership. Only a total of 9.589 million people tuned in to watch the major, a dip from 2023’s 12.09 million. That’s not all. The Valspar Championship on its Thursday round could only manage an average of 1.886 million viewers, as opposed to the previous year’s figures of 2.594 million.

The 2022 edition of the Mexico Open witnessed a total of 2.28 million viewers watching Jon Rahm emerge victorious, while 2023 saw 2.3 million people tuning in. However, the same wasn’t the case in the 2024 edition of the tournament, as only 1.8 million people were drawn into viewing the event. To top it all off, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which is deemed the ‘Fifth Major of Golf’, also failed to reach the mark as Scheffler’s victory in 12 months faced a 30% dip as opposed to Kurt Kitayama’s win in 2023. It drew in a total of only 2.29 million viewers on its Sunday round.

Rory McIlroy, on the other hand, had an answer as he alluded to the tension between LIV Golf and PGA Tour as the reason behind the issue: “I just think with the fighting and everything that’s went on over the past couple of years, people are just getting really fatigued of it and it’s turning people off men’s professional golf, and that’s not a good thing for anyone.” 

What the 35-year-old said makes perfect sense if one looks at the recent dip in viewership of the PGA Tour. McIlroy has time and again advocated for the end of the bifurcation that currently exists in the realm of men’s professional golf. Will his advantage yield positive results for the sport? It remains to be seen.