“I’m concerned about myself.” That was Rory McIlroy’s blunt response when asked about the PGA Tour’s struggles and its future. Not exactly the reassurance Jay Monahan and Co. were hoping for from one of the Tour’s biggest stars. Four events into the 2025 season and things aren’t looking great. Player withdrawals? Check. The pace of play issues? Check. A steep drop in TV ratings? Double check. Throw in some bad weather at the Farmers Insurance Open, and it feels like the golf gods aren’t exactly on the Tour’s side either.

McIlroy, who’s finally making his season debut at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, didn’t shy away from addressing the elephant in the room—the concerning drop in the TV viewership. Again. It’s not like he hasn’t warned people about this before. “I know this isn’t a be-all, end-all, but if you look at the TV ratings of the PGA Tour this year, they’re down 20 percent across the board,” he said back in 2024. And 2025 isn’t off to a better start.

The PGA Tour’s viewership crisis is getting worse

If Jay Monahan had a grand plan for 2025, well… we’re not seeing it. In fact, things seem to be getting worse.

It all started with The Sentry, which saw a 34.8% drop in viewership compared to last year—just 461,000 viewers tuned in, down from 707,000 in 2024. And if that wasn’t bad enough, The American Express final round took an even bigger hit, plummeting 56%, from 534,000 to just 232,000 viewers.

So, what’s causing the freefall? Well, for starters, the Tour’s biggest stars aren’t showing up. Have you seen any of the top three players in action so far? Exactly. Scottie Scheffler had to withdraw early in the season due to surgery, Xander Schauffele played the season-opener but pulled out of the next event citing medical reasons, and McIlroy? He skipped The Sentry, Sony Open, and American Express altogether.

Top Comment by Roger P

It’s all about greed. Never enough money. Between that and all the conflict, I’ve lost interest.

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But according to McIlroy, this isn’t just a TV viewership issue. He pointed to the sheer number of tournaments on the schedule as an issue, saying, “I think 47 or 50 tournaments a year is definitely too many. To scale it back and have a little more scarcity, like the NFL, might not be a bad thing.”  

Not exactly what Monahan wants to hear when the Tour is already struggling to hold onto its audience.

As for McIlroy, he’s already making adjustments—cutting his schedule down to around 22 events this year, just enough to maintain his status on both the PGA and DP World Tours. After playing 27 events last year, that’s a noticeable step back.

Meanwhile, the PGA Tour is still searching for answers. And so far, McIlroy doesn’t seem all that interested in helping find them.

The PGA Tour is falling behind as competition rises

While the PGA Tour struggles, its competition isn’t sitting still.

LIV Golf just secured a multi-year media rights deal with Fox Sports for 2025, broadcasting its 14-event global schedule across Fox, FS1, and streaming platforms. They’ll be hitting stops from Riyadh to Chicago, making sure they get as many viewers as possible.

And then there’s TGL, the tech-savvy league that has been garnering a lot of attention. Most recently, the 4th match of TGL featuring McIlroy’s team Boston Common, and Tiger Woods‘s Jupiter Links GC  was watched by approximately 864,000 viewers. (via Golf.com)

With all this going on, the PGA Tour has to act fast—it’s not just about making any decision—it’s about making the right one. Because right now it’s all falling behind.