12.7 million, the average number of viewers for CBS’s final round at the Masters after Rory McIlroy‘s win, marked the highest for a final round at golf’s first major since 2018, a significant rebound for CBS following last year’s dip to 9.5 million viewers during Scottie Scheffler’s second green-jacket win. Now, LPGA is almost concluding its first major of the season, the Chevron Championship. The viewership? Growing, but nowhere close. The highest views ever recorded for the event were 1.9 million in 2010 – a number achieved again after over a decade (in 2024).

Prominent LPGA stars like Lexi Thompson and Charley Hull are firing back at one of the sport’s biggest frustrations: slow play. They believe it’s killing the vibe for fans and taking a toll on viewership. “Something has to be done to quicken up the play out there, whether it’s fines or whatever it is. It needs to be done because we need to play quicker,” said Thompson last year.

Then, per the latest tweet by Beth Ann Nicholas, it was quieter than usual at the tournament’s second round.. “Pretty quiet out there on the first tee as the last two groups went off,” she wrote on X. Another golf analyst, Justin Ray, expressed disappointment over the lack of promotion for a championship at recent Astros and Rockets games. Specifically, she mentioned attending two Astros games and a Rockets playoff game without noticing any presence or signage for the championship. She even noted that there seemed to be more advertising for a senior event in The Woodlands than for the Chevron championship.

Well, this isn’t news for LPGA pros as their circuit has been facing problems for quite some time now. In June 2024, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship proved to be an exception, defying expectations despite big names like Nelly Korda, Danielle Kang, and Lexi Thompson missing the cut. The TV ratings saw a significant boost, with the final round viewership spiking 31% to 867,000 viewers across multiple channels, up from 658,000 last year. Saturday’s coverage also drew impressive numbers, with 818,000 viewers, almost double the 490,000 who watched in the 2023 season.

Now with this problem looming over LPGA again, there’s only one person whom everyone can count on, and you may have a good guess!

Nelly Korda’s victory sparked hope for women’s golf in 2024

Nelly Korda’s win at the 2024 Chevron Championship brought a much-needed boost to women’s golf, with TV viewing figures exceeding expectations. Despite a concurrent PGA Tour event, the tournament drew in impressive numbers, with a peak audience of almost 1.9 million tuning in during the final round. NBC reported an average viewership of 936,000 across the entirety of the final round, comparable to the previous year’s figures. The Total Audience Delivery saw a 2% increase from the previous year.

Korda’s victory was a dominating one, with a three-shot lead over her nearest competitors. Before the tournament, Korda had emphasized the need for women’s golf to have a bigger stage, citing the importance of live TV coverage. She noted that tape-delayed broadcasts could hurt the game and that women’s sports needed a platform. With her win, Korda proved that women’s golf could deliver exciting moments and attract a large audience.

The LPGA Tour continued with the JM Eagle LA Championship, although Korda didn’t feature due to exhaustion. Despite her absence, the tour remained hopeful that Korda’s momentum would carry over to future events, so maybe the same can happen this year as well? What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below!