LIV Golf 2025 season opener was a shocker! Usually, the first event of the season draws a lot of attention as fans want to fulfill their cravings for golf. It was no different for LIV Golf, which has kicked off every season with great ratings before slowing down for the remaining events. Fans have eagerly tuned in to see how their favorite stars are performing and what they can expect to see for the rest of the 12 matches. But that was not the case in 2025, despite LIV Golf now being under new leadership following Greg Norman’s exit.

The new CEO, Scott O’Neil, had everything going for him before the tee-off. Under his regime, the Saudi-based league secured a lucrative deal with Fox Sports. They were set to reach a much larger audience in the USA. And to capitalize on that, O’Neil scheduled the events after sundown. Yes, LIV Golf Riyadh was played after 6 p.m. local time to fit the prime time for American golf fans. For everyone in the Eastern time zone, the tournament began at 10:00 A.M.

Scott O’Neil joined his daughter, Lexi O’Neil, on YouTube for an episode of the Girl Dad Podcast. During one of the segments, the father-daughter duo started discussing the change in schedule of LIV Golf Riyadh. That’s when the CEO mentioned that despite the challenges, “Our players were so good and patient and understanding because it’s different.” This received a nod of approval from Lexi. O’Neil continued, “You have some of the best athletes in the world who are so precise about everything they do and it was different.” The new CEO explained that it was hard for someone as old as him to be able to see so far in the night. However, he confessed that players who range from 20 years old to his age as well were able to execute in Riyadh.

After sharing a few memories from the event, O’Neil’s daughter asked him, “Under the lights, is that something that you guys would say was successful? Would you do it again?”. The CEO promptly replied, “Very successful. We’re thinking through whether we would talk again. We’re pulling together like a committee of players to try to figure out how we move forward best together.” That’s when O’Neil admitted, “It actually helped get it on in the US at a time when the US viewers would be awake.”

It looks like the strategy was clear: entertain the audience in the USA. But did it really work? Let’s see what effect it had apart from putting a toll on the LIV Golf pros.

Did Greg Norman’s replacement learn from past mistakes, or is he doubling down on a failed formula?

On paper, the plan was brilliant. Making the tournament easily accessible for the country with the largest ratio of golf fans made sense. However, O’Neil’s brilliant plan soon turned into a nightmare for the LIV Golf management. Greg Norman aggressively focused on signing star players and expanding LIV’s presence, while O’Neil has prioritized restructuring the league’s broadcast strategy. But did this shift pay off?

The tournament opened with 12,000 average viewers on February 6, 2025. The highest average it achieved throughout the three rounds was 54,000 on Fox Sports 1, as reported by @YeahClickClack on X. That too was only a part of the final round, which switched to Fox Sports 2 from 12 p.m. (EST) onwards. The switch resulted in a 23,000 drop in viewership. But the new CEO, who stepped in after Greg Norman’s departure just a few months ago, remains confident that LIV Golf Riyadh was a major success. Why do you think that is the case?