2025 is already a standout year for LIV Golf. The league saw a change in leadership with former PGA Tour pro Greg Norman stepping down as CEO and Scott O’Neil taking charge. O’Neil did not wait around, as one day later it was announced that Fox Sports would broadcast LIV Golf in the United States, having entered a multi-year partnership with LIV. So, naturally, the expectations were high. LIV was finally going to bid adieu to its viewership woes, but it quite didn’t.

The 2025 LIV Golf season started with a very interesting event in Riyadh. The entire Riyadh tournament was to be played under the lights. This concept had two advantages: late tee time meant that the timing suited the viewers in the United States, and secondly, it would just be a different experience. Fans didn’t care for it.

On the first day, just 12,000 viewers tuned in to watch LIV stars compete, and then on the final day, ‘LIV under the lights’, as the event was termed only saw 54,000 viewers for the first half from 10 AM to 12 PM on FS1, while the second half proved to be even worse with only 31,000 viewers from 12 PM to 3 PM on FS2. Sure, the numbers improved from the first day, but did they, really?

Why did these devastatingly low ratings happen? Netizens had several reasons.

LIV Golf’s allure is not good enough for golfing fans

The first edition of the 2025 LIV Golf League was won by Polish golfer Adrian Meronk. 31-year-old Meronk edged out the hugely popular Jon Rahm by two strokes to clinch the victory and the $4m winners’ prize money that was on offer. The second-placed Spaniard’s team did win the team competition.

Meronk might not be a widely known golfer, especially amongst American golfing fans. His last tournament was the Dubai Desert Classic, nearly a month ago. At Riyadh, on Day 1, Meronk raced to a thrilling lead registering a score of 10 under par and establishing himself as the leader of the pack, something that remained unchanged over the last two days. According to one user, that could probably be one reason. In general, also, netizens do not like tuning in for LIV and have had their fair share of opinions about it so far. “Not surprised it was not a good figure. Meronk not exactly a big draw in the world of golf.”

Talks of a potential deal between the PGA Tour and the PIF, which backs LIV, have been in the works since 2023. The deal got a further boost after the PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and the player director Adam Scott met with President Donald Trump at the White House to accelerate the federal process to approve it. While the details of the deal remain unknown, it is safe to say that the deal would benefit both parties. “The PGA/LIV deal can’t happen soon enough – for both sides.”

The WM Phoenix Open had happened simultaneously on the PGA Tour. The Arizona-based event drew 3.6 million viewers on CBS on Sunday afternoon, a remarkably high number compared to the LIV Golf viewership. The crowd at the WM Phoenix Open was comparable to the viewership of LIV Golf on Fox Sports. Colt Knost, one of the presenters at CBS threw some shade at LIV Golf, commenting on a live broadcast, “There are 24,000 people around the 16th hole today. That’s 12,000 times two if I’m not mistaken.”  A fan brought this to attention stating, “Twice as many people attended the Phoenix Open on Saturday as watched LIV all 3 rounds on TV”

While ‘LIV under the lights’ seemed like an enticing concept, it did not attract a lot of viewers. Riyadh as a venue offered very little excitement to golf fans around the world. The Riyadh Golf Club was not the buzzing venue that the opening event of LIV Golf needed. One netizen explained that the venue and the crowd in Saudi Arabia were a huge turn-off. “I like LIV but Riyadh was so boring to watch. Could only manage 15 minutes. Zero atmosphere there.”

The marketing effort from Fox Sports could also be a huge reason for the lack of significant viewership. One user stated that he “Had no idea it was on.” Another fan took a jibe at the lofty aspirations, the league has in terms of competing with the PGA Tour. While PGA Tour ratings are dwindling, it is not even close to being as low as the LIV Golf viewership. With “laughable ratings lmao and they expect people to take this league seriously.”

With a deal between the PGA Tour and PIF in the works, a lot of changes could happen to LIV Golf. But do you think it is a worthwhile deal from the PGA Tour, or is it mostly going to benefit LIV Golf and help in increasing viewership?