Exploring the True Villian Who Is Destroying Scottie Scheffler and Nelly Korda’s Popularity Battle

Only four months into the new year, and seven titles have gone to only two people. And, given the way things are moving right now, it looks like one more will head to Dallas and Bradenton on Sunday. Nelly Korda and Scottie Scheffler , the world No. 1s, are on an unparalleled streak that has not been seen in many years. The last time two players dominated the male and female circuit simultaneously was in 2005, when Tiger Woods reigned supreme and Annika Sorenstam won five back-to-back titles.

No doubt, the golf world is witnessing history unfold. But TV ratings and audience numbers won’t give you that. The audience is still not buying it, and despite both Korda and Scheffler playing some spectacular golf, there is something amiss. 

The TV rating slip followed weather delays in each event

Both the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour have been unfortunate in facing the wrath of nature. The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am had to be canceled, resulting in CBS broadcasting a re-run of the third round, which drew a 1.9 million audience. With Wyndham Clark setting the course on fire in the third round, the canceled Sunday was a missed opportunity. 

WM Phoenix Open, THE PLAYERS Championship, and the Masters. A handful of highly anticipated events have been battered by Mother Nature’s wrath. In the case of the THE PLAYERS, where again Scottie Scheffler had dominated, the second round was delayed. WMPO’s final round witnessed a 35% decline. The PLAYERS championship audience dropped to 3.5 million from 4.1 million last year, a 17% drop. Per Sports Media Watch, it was the least watched TPC Sawgrass episode in the past ten years. 

At Augusta, a rain delay pushed the ceremonial tee times further back. The second round spilled over, too. Perhaps none were more affected than Tiger Woods himself. The 15-time Major champion shot 82, his career-worst round at the Majors, after playing 23 holes on Friday. Ratings dropped 20% year-on-year, drawing 9.59 million viewers. The LPGA Tour, somewhat immune from this, is battling with weather trouble as well. 

Chevron Championship moving day was suspended

Korda stands at a historic juncture. With a Chevron Championship triumph, Korda will match Nancy Lopez and Annika Sorenstam’s five-consecutive-title-winning streak. This will also be her second major. Korda was off on a hot streak when the weather threw a monkey wrench in her plans. Just one shot off the lead, the World No. 1 is stranded at T2 with six holes left to play. 

The problem is that she plans to play a marathon round on Sunday. 24 holes stand between the 25-year-old and the second major title. Make no mistake, Korda is pulling all the eyeballs. The LPGA Tour has received 11 million eyeballs on different channels this year, compared to the 4 million it generated last year by this time. If the 25-year-old suffers from fatigue in the final round—she has been playing for consecutive weeks—a dip in rating won’t be shocking.