Despite the Los Angeles Golf Club dominating his side, Tiger Woods’ TGL debut gave ESPN a nice ratings bump compared to the previous week.
The World Leader in Sports averaged one million viewers on Tuesday night, up 9 percent from Jan. 7, when 919,000 viewers tuned in to see New York Golf Club face off against The Bay. But like Woods’ match, the inaugural TGL broadcast saw a lop-sided result, as The Bay defeated New York handily by a score of 9-to-2.
Yet, fans still tuned in, intrigued by what TGL had to offer. Then, as has been the case since the mid-1990s, Woods remains the needle, so he will always garner attention across a broad spectrum of sports enthusiasts.
“This is something that golf has never seen before,” Woods said.
“To have an arena like this and to be able to go out there with great guys, entertain everyone, just have fun. It’s really neat, and it was intimate. I think that’s one of the cool things about it. It’s about entertaining. We had a laugh.”
The moment of Tuesday’s match came after the result had already been decided. On the 14th TGL hole, Kevin Kisner, Woods’ teammate, hit a shank that skidded off the flag pole and across the virtual green. The misfire had everyone doubled over and dying laughing, especially Woods, who does not break his stoic persona during competition all too often.
Interestingly, coverage peaked at 1.1 million viewers right before Kisner’s viral moment, during the 8:30-to-8:45 p.m. window.
Next Tuesday will see Xander Schauffele’s New York Golf Club square off against Atlanta Drive, a team comprised of Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Lucas Glover, and Billy Horschel. Sure, Thomas has won the PGA Championship twice, but he’s not a needle-mover. Neither are the others. And that’s not a slight on any of these players; it’s just reality. Tiger Woods is a tough act to follow.
The third match of the TGL season will serve as the real test for sponsors and network executives alike. Golf’s newest venture received rave reviews during its launch but faced some criticism after its most recent match. Will ratings continue to be higher than 900,000? Who knows. But if Match 3 sees a drastic drop in interest, it may be time to critique the start-up league, whether it’s ensuring a more competitive balance or shortening matches to 9-holes or one hour.
LIV Golf inks deal with FOX Sports
LIV Golf has confirmed its television agreement with Fox Sports, a major development for the Saudi-backed circuit that hopes to reach more American households. Josh Carpenter of Sports Business Journal notes that Fox will air “more than half” of LIV’s 14 events live on Fox or Fox Sports 1. The presumption is that Fox will air all American-based LIV events in 2025.
Fox has also paid LIV a “modest rights fee,” according to Puck. However, unlike when Fox aired the U.S. Open from 2015 to 2019, LIV will continue to facilitate its own broadcast and production.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
