Rory McIlroy proved right about LIV as concerning Masters data emerges after Augusta

Rory McIlroy reacts to a putt at the 2024 Masters

Rory McIlroy appears to have had his growing LIV Golf concerns validated after viewing figures for the Masters took a sharp nose dive.

The official viewership numbers for this year’s Masters tumbled by 20 per cent, echoing McIlroy’s earlier criticism of the ongoing feud between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf and the detraction of fans.

The US audience statistics showed an initial spike in interest, with ESPN’s coverage of the opening round drawing an average of 3.2 million viewers, up by 26 per cent from last year and the highest since 2015. The two-day average reached 3.4 million viewers, the most impressive figure since 2018.

Yet, the final round saw a significant viewership decline of 20 per cent from the previous year, as CBS reported an average of just 9.589 million viewers. This was the lowest-rated Masters since Hideki Matsuyama’s win in 2021 and one of the least-watched in over 30 years, only managing to outdo the pandemic-affected tournaments of 2020 and 2021.

McIlroy, who has been a vocal advocate for the PGA Tour amidst its battle with LIV Golf, had previously pointed out the potential damage caused by their disputes. In a recent interview, he highlighted the concerning trend in viewership figures.

“If you look at the TV ratings of the PGA Tour this year, they’re down 20 per cent across the board. That’s a fifth. That’s big. I would say the numbers on LIV aren’t great either in terms of the people tuning in.

“I just think with the fighting and everything that’s gone on over the past couple of years, people are just getting fatigued, and it’s turning people off men’s professional golf, and that’s not a good thing for anyone,” said McIlroy.

McIlroy is without a major title in 10 years

“It’s going to be really interesting to see how the four major championships do, or even the three, because put Augusta aside, I think that sort of lives in its own world.”

The ongoing rift between LIV and the PGA Tour isn’t merely impacting overall golf viewership, according to McIlroy.

He added: “It is lessening interest in major championships as well.”

A shocking change of tune was seen as McIlroy dramatically shifted his stance towards LIV after criticising the league for over a year. Rumours have circulated about McIlroy potentially joining LIV on an £623m deal, but his manager Sean O’Flaherty has denied these reports, along with the player himself.

McIlroy has admitted he was wrong to judge golfers who joined the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational, including Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia. Mickelson is reported to have pocketed a cool $200m (£160.9m) for making the switch.