Stroke play or match play? Many would prefer the former. Quite natural to do so, to be frank, seeing as how the sport of golf had traditionally been dominated by the former. But, the fact also remains that time is ever-changing. And with time, so do trends. The LIV Golf Team Championship and the recently ended Solheim Cup stand as good examples, don’t you think? Well, to put it bluntly, and more plainly, the current situation of the sport demands more match-play events!

Let us now take a quick peek at the season’s PGA Tour numbers. The ratings saw quite a bit of decline as opposed to the 2023 figures. But the Solheim Cup, this time around, boasted a different trend, with the numbers being more than what the previous year dished out. Surprising, isn’t it?

Stroke play vs match play, a curious case of the PGA Tour and Solheim Cup numbers

“If you look at the TV ratings of the PGA TOUR this year,” pointed out a worried Rory McIlroy,  “they’re down 20 percent across the board. That’s a fifth, that’s big.” And we agree as well. For the Valspar Championship, the Mexico Open and many other events including even the Masters saw a decline in viewers, as opposed to an increase.

The Stroke play tournament at Augusta National witnessed just 9.59 million people tuning in to watch Scottie Scheffler don the iconic Green Jacket. What about 2023 when Jon Rahm won the major? Back then, the tournament itself averaged 12.09 million viewers, marking an unfortunate 22.8% decline over the year.

But the opposite seems to be the case for the Solheim Cup. The biennial tournament in which the athletes majorly engage in the match-play format saw the Americans beat the European team 15.5-12.5. And this victory, their first since 2017, witnessed an average viewership of 657,000 on NBC. Not impressed? Well, you will be if you take a look at the 2023 numbers; 277,000 – less than half of the 2024 figures!

This is more than enough to make you wonder if people are actually starting to prefer more match-play events than stroke-play tournaments. As usual, don’t take our word for it, but take a look at the numbers, especially those of the LIV Golf tournaments.

LIV Golf viewership and attendance witnesses an increase in 2024

Remember Bryson DeChambeau’s U.S. Open win? None would forget, for the iconic event witnessed a LIV Golf pro winning not just the major title but the hearts of many fans as well. And its effect was a record 40,000 audience flocking to Nashville for its tournament over three days. Although the one at Adelaide did cross 94,000 this year, the event at The Grove was the highest for a U.S.-based contest on the circuit.

This wasn’t just the case for its other match-play events. Back in Mayakoba, the Saudi-backed league drew in a final-round viewership of 432,000. Seems quite low when compared to the PGA Tour and the Masters, doesn’t it? But it showcases a record-breaking figure in just 2 and a half years, proving how LIV Golf and its team format has the potential to retain the audience.

Anyhow, the various circuits and majors weren’t the only ones who received the brunt of the reaction. What else, then? We’ll give you a hint; It comes around every four years. Yes, it’s the Olympics and this year, the golfing event took place at Le Golf National in Paris.

The community pushes for a change in Olympic golf format

“Please consider a different format,” urged a fan following the end of the quadrennial tournament, “Maybe 2 days of stroke play followed by 2 days of match play or some sort of team competition. 4 days of stroke play is too boring.” This was but one of the reactions that echoed in the golf world for another ardent enthusiast also suggested something along similar lines.

“If golf is going to be in it, it needs to be match play,” said the follower as they pushed for a format change in the prestigious tournament. “Head-to-head matches offer amazing hype each day, and then you get an actual Gold medal / Bronze medal match. Having another 72-hole stroke play event is just lazy.” 

Seems like the fans are slowly starting to prefer more match play events as opposed to the ever-dominant stroke play ones. And the circuits, as a whole, need to embrace more of the same if they are to catch hold of the increasing trend and rake in more viewers. But as is the case with everything, too much of something can have the opposite effect. So, therein lies the importance of the perfect balance between the two! Don’t you agree?!