This year has been difficult for the PGA Tour. Why? You may ask: The ratings of the Tour events have gone down significantly. Consider the most recent THE PLAYERS Championship. When Scottie Scheffler and Wyndham Clark, two of the Tour’s last surviving stars, faced off in the final round, it was much less watched than when Scheffler won more predictably the previous year. Similar declines in ratings have been observed for other events too! Who is to blame for this mayhem? Jay Monahan? Interestingly, no!

As per a renowned golf analyst and commentator, Brandel Chamblee, LIV Golf, and the golfers who defected are to be blamed for it. He mentioned so in “The Thing About Golf” podcast!

LIV Golfers should start at the bottom if they want to return to the PGA Tour, says Chamblee.

With a raised finger at the star players leaving, Chamblee said, “People are tired of hearing about money. Okay. A lot of the best players have left. Okay, some exciting players have left. That hurts the ratings.” Frustration seems to reap through Chamblee’s words. The analyst believes that the loss of well-known and interesting players like Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka has lessened the PGA Tour’s star power. As a result, the TV ratings are low! The former golfer also said fumingly, “Whatever it is, there has to be some penalty for going because in the process of going they’ve hurt the PGA Tour,” and he suggested a way too!

Chamblee believes that any players who return to the PGA Tour after their defection to LIV Golf should face severe penalties. “You want to come back and play the PGA Tour; you got to go play the smaller events; you got to work your way back. And if you finish within this subset, then you get into the signature events, but you can’t get into them for two years or a year,” he replied.

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Chamblee made it clear that returning LIV players needed to show renewed dedication. “They’d have to come back and not get to play in the signature events,” he said. “They have to earn their way back into the signature events.” This would involve a period of playing in lower-tier PGA Tour events, proving their commitment, before returning to play at the biggest stages, like the majors.

One can conclude that TV ratings are surely related to the entities competing in the tournament. LIV golfers coming to the American Tour and playing has been a long-standing discussion now, and it might also happen if the $3B merger comes through. But, with the LIV players competing in the Masters, will the impact be seen on its ratings too?

Will the 2024 Masters ratings be impacted as per Chamblee’s remarks?

‘Interesting’ LIV players such as Phil Mickelson, Cam Smith, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, and a few others are all competing in the Masters this year. A total of 13 players in the Augusta field are from the Saudi League. Keeping Chamblee’s remarks in consideration, it can be considered that the Masters’ ratings will not be like the regular PGA Tour events.

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In the first place, a grandeur like Masters doesn’t need any affiliation to hit the record viewing, but having a few extra-renowned golfers in the field who fans love to see and cheer for could be good for the ratings. Mickelson and Koepka, owing to their previous year’s T2 finish, are fan favorites this year, and DeChambeau’s slam-dunk ace surely has gotten the Masters started for him! How can one not mention Jon Rahm, the defending champion, when talking about interesting players? right!

The TV ratings this year surely will be high, no matter whether a golfer from LIV or the PGA Tour is on the screen! Fans who will be cheering on their favorite golfer will surely be tuning in! Do you agree with Chamblee’s remarks and his idea of a penalty? Share your thoughts below!

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