Do you think it’s time for traditional golf to evolve? Many are for that progression. After the start of the 2025 schedule, there have been many concerns about the PGA Tour’s future in the sport. First, it was the TV deal for LIV Golf and later top golfers withdrawing names from the events. With the Farmers Insurance Open lined up next, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, and others withdrew their name from the event.

However, now there is another issue for the legacy creator with the traditional golfing experience. Fans have slammed the recent event with their expectations and time being wasted with the final round. While, on the other hand, the launch of TGL has been a go-getter for the audience. If comparing the viewership of the newly started league and PGA Tour events, the difference is clear.

PGA Tour’s first signature event, i.e., the Sentry saw a 34% decline in viewership, despite Hideki Matsuyama’s record-breaking performance. Even for the event after, which was the American Express, fans shared their concern about long-duration rounds. However, on the other side of it, TGL saw a 9% increase in the second match featuring Tiger Woods. The second event crossed the 1 million mark, while the first averaged at 919,000 viewers.

Writing on the same lines, Andy Johnson, founder of Fried Egg Golf and co-host at The Shotgun Start podcast shared an observation with the fans on X. The post wrote, “The final group took 339 minutes to play the final round of the AmEx.” His experience of the final round was somewhat similar to fans of the sport too, as the majority of them took the comment box to share on the same.

Fans reaction to the concerning tweet for PGA Tour

The fans’s anger with the streaming and broadcasting is not new, as there have been many instances in the past that have led to fans’s outrage at the PGA Tour. Even the recent PGA Studios saw the same when fans called out on the league to focus on broadcasting rights rather than adding new studios as a form of distraction. Now this time too, fans were vocal enough to share their concern about long round times at the PGA tour events.

One fan commented, “Pro golf has to institute a shot clock. No personality and 5 1/2 hour rounds are a turnoff. Too much reliance on tradition could be the death of golf’s golden goose.” Even another wrote, “That is almost 6 hours. No wonder people are tuning out.” The falling viewership is a concern for the leagues as fans expect the rules to be followed to make the event shorter.

Other netizens also joined in with the rule book as they commented, “Time for a shot clock,” and “Wild Let’s make 40 seconds an enforced Rule and not a recommendation. Difficult to enforce but TGL figured it out for their platform.” As per the rule book, Rule 5.6 says the players take no more than 40 seconds to make the shot, or else a penalty will result in a stroke deduction. However, the rules are not being taken into consideration seriously as there are only a handful of instances where a penalty for slow play has been recorded.

Another senior fan shared, “There are a lotta reasons I have a hard time watching week to week. This is one of the main reasons.” The list of issues for the fans is increasing indefinitely, not a positive sign for the league. The effect can already be seen from the initial events of the 2025 schedule.

Joel Beall Senior Writer at Golf Digest also shared his thoughts on X, writing, “Took final group 3 hours and 50 minutes to complete 12 holes. Doesn’t matter if initiatives like TGL succeed in attracting new fans; if this is the core product being presented to audiences, golf is failing at a basic level.” Even fans commented on the post sharing, “Horrible pace policy. Nothing ever changes and the slow guys are still gaming the system. Until players are given a shot penalty, they really don’t care.”

Now with the rising concern, will there be a new rule introduction? Or will rules get stricter to be followed by the players? What are your thoughts about it? Share with us in the comments section below.