Despite all the talks and criticisms regarding a potentially never-happening PGA-PIF deal, the Tour has seen some significant positive changes during the course of this season. Primarily, in the case of viewership. Just take a look at THE PLAYERS Championship. The championship won by Rory McIlroy saw a jump of a whole 100K to 3.6 M from 3.5 M last year. And this was despite the fact that the rain played spoilsport and shifted a thrilling playoff to the next day. And just when the PGA Tour thought it could not get any better, it did. The RBC Heritage’s viewership numbers came in.

The 2025 RBC Heritage was a standout event this year for many reasons. And Justin Thomas was at the center of it. The University of Alabama grad has been playing some of his best golf on the PGA Tour this season, and it came to a stellar conclusion at the Harbor Town Golf Links in South Carolina.

First of all, he matched the course record on the first day, scoring a brilliant 61 to finish 3 strokes clear in the first position with 10 under par. He then had to battle a bit over the next three days before he finished with a score of 17 under par, tied with Andrew Novak for first place and needing a playoff. The playoff could have been a movie in itself.

It took JT a brilliant putt from 21 ft to register his first PGA Tour victory in 1,064 days. His last victory came at the PGA Championship in 2022. “I didn’t realize how much I missed winning,” Thomas said on the 18th green after his brilliant victory. The final day viewership of the RBC Heritage broke some records as well, giving some much-needed respite for Jay Monahan and Co.

Around 4.362 M viewers tuned in to catch the closely-fought action between Justin Thomas and the rest of the field. These numbers are significantly increased from last year, when only 2.151 M viewers caught Scottie Scheffler‘s brilliant victory at South Carolina. It also trumped Matt Fitzpatrick’s victory in 2023, which had 4.152 M viewers. The number of viewers last Sunday was the most-watched final round of the signature event in the last 23 years. Remarkable!

As per Josh Carpenter of the Sports Business Journal, CBS drew in 3.3 million viewers during the third and fourth rounds, which is also a 62 percent increase from last year. The early round coverages also drew in nearly 536,000 viewers on the Golf Channel, a record for the RBC Heritage. These remarkable numbers follow a pleasant trend for the PGA Tour as they are seeing their numbers hit an uptick after a disappointing 2024 season when ratings plummeted.

While on the topic of viewership, it is important to note that the 2025 Masters also showed tremendous improvement with respect to TV ratings, registering 12.71 million viewers. Rory McIlroy’s much-awaited victory turned out to be the most-watched Augusta event in the last six years. The final round saw an increase of 33 percent in viewership compared to the 2024 edition. A significant uptick.

Coming back to Thomas, he has been a very prevalent figure on the PGA Tour since turning professional in 2013. Several golfing fans have seen his potential on display during the earlier stages of his career, and it is rejuvenating to see him end his drought on the PGA Tour circuit. No wonder that so many fans tuned in to see his chance at a title.

Justin Thomas’ fabled title in 1,064 days

“Winning is hard. It’s really, really hard,” Thomas stated after his long-awaited victory at the Harbor Town Golf Links. He was speaking to CBS’ Amanda Balionis post his playoff putt that clinched the title. The American golfer has had to deal with a fair share of criticism over the years, particularly for his inclusion in the 2023 Ryder Cup squad. But he has battled through all that and come out on top.

“I’ve worked my butt off and stayed patient, stayed positive,” Thomas added further. He is currently placed sixth in the Ryder Cup rankings for Team USA, which means he is eligible for an automatic qualification spot for the event at Bethpage this year. What a remarkable turnaround in two years! It is stories like these that make golf enticing to the viewers, as proven by the recent viewership numbers.

With both the PGA Tour and Justin Thomas celebrating their successes at the RBC Heritage, the tour heads in a slightly different direction – the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Can the uptick in viewership continue at the Louisiana event?