It feels like we’ve been talking about the PGA Tour’s viewership issues forever, doesn’t it? Every year, fans watching at home are left frustrated, missing out on huge moments that should be front and center. Honestly, if this kind of coverage doesn’t push viewers away, what will? Jay Monahan & Co. seem to be taking most of the heat for not fixing it.

Sure, Monahan made bold claims about changes coming in 2025. In a recent video message, he shared, “PGA TOUR Studios goes live in two short weeks, giving us the ability to produce golf content like never before, delivering our fans around the world more of what you want to see.”

Sounds promising, right? But the chaos at the Sentry 2025 seems to tell a different story. Hideki Matsuyama made history by breaking the all-time PGA Tour record for the lowest under-par score, finishing at 35 under. His best shot? Holing out an eagle! Meanwhile, his co-player Taylor Pendrith made history of his own with the first-ever albatross in the 27-year history of The Sentry.

Big news, right? You’d think so, but these moments didn’t get the coverage they deserved, and fans weren’t quiet about their frustration. It’s like the PGA Tour hasn’t learned a thing from the past criticism at all.

Golf writer Matt Vincenzi summed it up perfectly on X, saying, “This is no longer swing season, it’s 2025. We miss the players teeing off early rounds, OK I guess, but leaders are well underway and the Sony Open is still not on TV. I don’t understand why it has to be this way.”

If that’s not bad enough, NUCLR Golf dropped a stat that’s even more concerning: “Matsuyama’s win at The Sentry pulled 461K during the Golf Channel window. Previous numbers for the same event/window: 707K in 2024 (Kirk), 603K in 2023 (Rahm).” That is a 34% drop from last year to this year. Now that is actually concerning.

And it’s not like this is the first time the PGA Tour’s coverage has been called out. Just last year, fans blasted the Sentry for having too many commercials—seriously, it felt like they showed more ads than golf. Then there was the 2023 Hero World Challenge, where the broadcast focused almost entirely on Tiger Woods, leaving other players’ performances sidelined. Other events like the PNC Championship, Ryder Cup, and Solheim Cup got the same treatment, with fans venting about sloppy, frustrating coverage.

Even some of the biggest tournaments weren’t spared. The Phoenix Open in February 2024 saw a brutal 35% dip in viewership for the final round. The Arnold Palmer Invitational in March wasn’t much better, with a 30% drop from the year before. And the Players Championship, often regarded as a fan favorite, disappointed with a 15% drop in viewership.

And then there was the Open Championship. You’d think Xander Schauffele winning his second major would pull huge numbers, but nope. The final round had the worst ratings in nearly a decade, with just 3.39 million viewers tuning in.

Fans have had enough of this ongoing drama, and they’re not holding back in letting the PGA Tour know exactly how they feel.

PGA Tour suffers the wrath of fans’ frustration

It seems like fans are hitting their breaking point with the PGA Tour’s ongoing coverage issues. The frustrations aren’t new, but the outcry following recent events has reached a boiling point. One fan summed it up perfectly: “So frustrating! We want to watch golf and can’t. PGA tour needs to do better!” It’s hard to disagree. Viewers have been deprived of key live moments, and the numbers tell the story. The 2024 season saw a 19% drop in Sunday telecast viewership—averaging 2.2 million compared to 2.7 million in 2023.

Another fan didn’t mince words: “They need new leaders in charge. With gambling being legal in more states. If they did a better job with the coverage and marketing. Ratings would be up.” The legalized sports betting boom is a golden opportunity for the PGA Tour to capture a broader audience. Yet, poor coverage and uninspired marketing could mean missing out on this massive potential. And the timing? Fans aren’t impressed: “Yah imagine PGAT doing something stupid like not putting live golf on when half the country is stuck inside for winter.” January is prime time for indoor entertainment, and golf could be a major draw during those winter months. But with delayed broadcasts or poor timing for events like The Sentry or Sony Open, it feels like the Tour is missing a big opportunity.

And then there’s this comment “Both are lower than when Cam beat Rahm in 2022. The last legitimate @TheSentry” They’re right. In 2022, Smith’s record-breaking 34-under-par win was a high point for The Sentry, pulling in strong ratings. Fast forward to 2024, and well, NUCLR Golf stats say it all.

“No wonder they are spinning off the Golf channel” This makes sense considering Comcast’s recent move to spin off the Golf Channel as part of a new publicly traded company, which will also include networks like CNBC and USA Network, along with digital platforms like GolfNow. It’s a sign of bigger changes in golf broadcasting, but whether it’ll improve the fan experience is still up in the air.

Another chimed in with a more dramatic take, writing, “PGA Tour is dead. Just fold up shop at this point.” While this may seem extreme, it reflects just how frustrated some fans are. With the rivalry between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf still simmering, it feels like the Tour has its hands full just keeping its core audience.

The PGA Tour isn’t sitting idly, though. They’ve started using new measurement tools from Nielsen, adding streaming and OTT platforms to their data. These updates reportedly helped boost 2023 viewership by 17%, and there’s a 20% bump expected in 2024.

Plus, the Tour is pushing to reach younger audiences with its new Creator Council, hoping to tap into the world of digital content. But so far, the fans watching the live events aren’t feeling the impact of these changes.

At the end of the day, fans just want what they signed up for—good, timely coverage. Less commercial clutter, less missed action, and more focus on the game itself. If the PGA Tour can fix these issues, it’s got a shot at winning back some trust. But right now, the clock is ticking, and fans aren’t going to keep waiting forever.