5 Worst Event From 2024 That Caused PGA Tour Headaches

The 2024 season of the PGA Tour has officially come to an end. While it has almost been a month since the new season kickstarted, it is needless to say that last year will remain unforgettable. From Scottie Scheffler’s dominance on the Tour to Xander Schauffele’s 2x Major wins in just a year, there have been exceptional storylines. But there have been bad ones too. The worst one, of course, has been the drop in viewership rates for the American Professional League. It was hard to ignore. Even Rory McIlroy waded into the discourse and called the drops jarring. 

As per GolfMonthly, breaking down the numbers, the PGA Tour averaged 2.2 million viewers for its Sunday broadcasts (excluding majors) in 2024, marking a 19% decline from 2.7 million in 2023. When including majors, the Sunday viewership figure in 2024 rises to 2.8 million. On Saturdays, the Tour saw 1.5 million viewers, down 17% from 1.8 million the previous year. On NBC, the Tour averaged just over 2 million viewers across all events (excluding streaming), a 5% drop compared to last year’s weekend broadcasts, which did not include the playoffs (those were aired by CBS in 2023). Having said that, some events were worse than others. Here’s a list of the lowest-rated tournaments in the PGA Tour 2024 season.

1.  Tour Championship

As mentioned earlier, Scottie Scheffler was an invincible force in the 2024 season. So much so that he bagged a Tiger Woods-like finish by grabbing seven wins in one season. That earned him enough FedEx Points to stay consistently in the lead despite his performances in the other two tournaments. Even though Scheffler ended up shooting a phenomenal -30, it made the whole event quite lackluster. Mostly due to the event’s format.

Heads in the PGA Tour have even come to the discussion of changing the event’s format to a bracket-style system. This will allow for a more even playing ground and create more tension for the audience to get entertained, or else who would watch a match, and waste so much time, when the outcome seems predictable.

2. Barracuda Championship

The 2024 Barracuda Championship lacked big names from the field. Players like Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, and Rory McIlroy have mostly been the steering force behind the PGA Tour’s viewership. Let’s not forget the fame Tiger Woods has despite his dropping performance. He was not there either. Imagine the plight of the tournament. However, Nick Dunlap at least finally earned the chance to take home the $720,000 winner’s check, after missing out on the $1.512 million prize money at the AmEx. At least it was a win for someone.

3. John Deere Classic

The John Deere Classic hosted in July had a similar problem to that of the Barracuda Championship. Most of the big names from the American Professional Tour were missing from the event. Scottie Scheffler was on his break during the $8 million event. In his absence, it was Davis Thompson who defeated Michael Thorbjornsen, Luke Clanton l, and CT Pan at the TPC Deere Run. But it still failed to garner the attention that the golf fans had for the 2024 edition.

4.  Myrtle Beach Classic

Considering it was the event’s debut, it came out a little lackluster. However, it would be wrong to say that there was no excitement at all. 16-year-old Blades Brown provided a fine performance at the 2024 Myrtle Beach Classic, as he finished tied for 26th, showcasing his potential on the big stage. At the top of the leaderboard,  leading by four shots going into Sunday, Gotterup maintained control throughout the final round and ultimately secured a six-shot victory, proving his dominance.

The win marked a significant milestone for Gotterup, as he capitalized on his strong position to finish comfortably ahead of the field. Despite the gap at the top, the tournament provided a platform for both seasoned players and

rising stars like Brown to showcase their skills. The Myrtle Beach Classic’s first year may not have delivered a nail-biting finish, but it still set the stage for what could become a memorable event in the future.

5. Cognizant Classic

For the first time since 2015, the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches was forced to finish on Monday. Sunday’s final round was suspended for 3 hours and 28 minutes due to dangerous weather in the Palm Beach Gardens, Florida area. Play was halted at 12:49 p.m. ET on Sunday at PGA National’s Champion course, and resumed at 4:17 p.m. ET. However, due to fading daylight, play was halted for the evening at 6:23 p.m. ET.

The final round’s conclusion took place on Monday morning, with coverage resuming at 8 a.m. ET on Golf Channel and simulcast on Peacock. The delay and Monday finish marked an unusual turn of events for the 2024 tournament, but it didn’t overshadow a thrilling finish as players battled through the challenging conditions. Despite the disruptions, the Cognizant Classic wrapped up successfully, leaving fans eager for next year’s event.

The PGA Tour is hopeful that 2025 will be a great season, with new changes implemented. But the pace at which it is going in January, that does not deem fit to say till now. Stay tuned for more updates.