PGA Tour’s $8M Reward for Scottie Scheffler Backfires as Fellow Pro Overtakes Him in Popularity

Declining viewership – an issue the PGA Tour is all too familiar with by now. Sunday telecasts, for instance, averaged a mere 2.2 million viewers in 2024, marking a 19% drop from the previous year’s 2.7 million average viewers. Notably, this fall came despite some intriguing storylines. Scottie Scheffler went on a run of a lifetime with seven wins, including the Masters, and Xander Schauffele won his first major and, in fact, added another. While these moments stood out to golf fans, they failed to move the needle. Yes, there were a few factors at play that led to the declining numbers, but it wasn’t a good look for the Tour. However, 2025 has started on a better note.

Since the Mexico Open teed off on February 22-23, the PGA TOUR has been riding a wave of momentum, delivering six straight weekends of year-over-year viewership growth across NBC, Peacock, and NBC Sports Digital platforms, according to official Nielsen data. The Sunday final rounds? They’ve been the real crowd-pullers, averaging a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 2.7 million viewers, marking a 13% jump from 2024 numbers. The recently concluded Texas Children’s Houston Open was another success story, with around 2.676 million viewers tuning in for the final round, a whopping 44% bump from last year.

The driving force behind this massive increase? Well, we have an answer.

The hosts at Fore Play Podcast Plus sat down for a discussion over the Houston Open viewership on Friday. They noted, “Texas Houston Open, Min Woo Lee delivering the views, putting asses in the seats. Viewership was up 44%, 2.7 million viewers average for the final round. So for the Houston Open feel like that’s absolutely fantastic.” This led to the question, “What the hell happened in 2024, like…44% is an insane uptick.” 

The host recalled that last year’s event saw a thrilling last-round showdown between Scottie Scheffler and Stephan Jäger, with Scheffler narrowly missing a playoff. Both players entered the final round tied at 10-under par, with Jäger securing his win with a final-round 67, finishing at 12-under. The drama in that one was palpable, yet it failed to draw the massive numbers, as only 1.858 million viewers tuned in.

“It wasn’t like it was a total snoozer. Like Scotty had that like five-footer on the 72nd hole high and go into a playoff that he missed. So he was like making a charge… you know, the number one player in the world, biggest name in the game when it comes to winning was right there.” 

This year, the viewership has skyrocketed as Min Woo Lee carded -20 for the event and won his first PGA Tour event by a stroke. The hosts at Fore Play Podcast Plus were quick to give Lee his due. “It helps Scotty was there again, Rory was there a little bit, but I think Min Woo Lee was driving some viewership, so it was nice to see,” they noted. NBC also averaged 2.221 million viewers, which is an increase of 34% compared to last year’s event. The Min Woo Effect was in full swing and the Australian golfer was receiving credit on social media as well.

On X, golf journalist Josh Carpenter shared a tweet on X and revealed the viewership numbers of the Texas Children’s Houston Open 2025. “The Min Woo Effect. NBC draws 2.676M viewers for the final round of the Houston Open (no streaming). That’s up 44% from 1.858M last year (Jaeger). This event replaced the old Match Play. That event drew 2.033M in 2023 (Burns) and 1.813M in 2022 (Scheffler),” he tweeted.

Over the past six weekends, PGA TOUR coverage on NBC and Peacock has teed up impressive numbers, drawing an average Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 2.2 million viewers across 41 hours of broadcast. That’s a 10% upswing compared to the same stretch last year, and if you take this weather-affected PLAYERS Championship out of the equation, the surge climbs to an impressive 18%.

Top Comment by Tran lam

Yes, not only MWLee but need more young new faces like him to make PGA more fun to watch.

Share your take

Debate

While Min Woo Lee will take the appreciation coming his way from his success at the Houston Open and helping bring more eyeballs, last year, it was all about Scottie Scheffler and his impressive run.

Scheffler had wins at The Players Championship, the Masters, and the Paris Olympics, and his soaring popularity meant he received $8 million under the Player Impact Program (PIP), which rewards the players who have the biggest positive impact on the Tour’s business. Going by the viewership numbers of the Houston Open this year, compared to last year, it appears, Min Woo Lee might be in for a hefty windfall as well.

This also highlights the growing popularity of Min Woo Lee with the viewership peaking with 4.3 million viewers at one point, the second highest total of the six-week stretch of growing numbers for the PGA Tour. However, it’s not only Lee who is taking over Scheffler when it comes to popularity.

Rory McIlroy’s historic win at Pebble Beach shatters ratings records

The PGA Tour has been struggling to find its footing in the ratings department, but Rory McIlroy‘s thrilling win at Pebble Beach has given executives a much-needed reason to celebrate. Sunday’s final round telecast averaged a whopping 3.33 million viewers. Making it the most-watched final round of any PGA Tour event since March 2024.

The coverage even peaked at nearly four million viewers as McIlroy strolled down the 18th fairway, his 27th career PGA Tour title all but secured. It’s no surprise that McIlroy’s worldwide popularity played a role in the ratings boost. He’s arguably the most popular player on the planet, aside from Tiger Woods.

The perfect storm of factors contributed to the impressive ratings, including the prestige of Pebble Beach, one of the most iconic courses in golf. The event also drew in a star-studded field, with 45 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Rankings competing. This included Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth, both of whom were making their returns from injury.

CBS’s innovative use of drone shots, tracers, and other visuals added to the excitement. These elements beautifully showcased the breathtaking scenery of Pebble Beach. As McIlroy himself said, “To knock one off at Pebble is very cool… I’m a big historian of the game, and to add my name to that list is pretty cool.” How much do you think individual players impact the PGA Tour’s viewership? How much do you think individual players influence the PGA Tour’s viewership? Who is your favorite golfer to watch on the circuit? Let us know in the comments section below.