Paige Spiranac shared her thoughts on why television ratings for the final round of the 2024 Masters were down compared to the previous year.
In response to a post on X by Nuclr Golf, which highlighted that only 9.589 million viewers watched Scottie Scheffler clinch his second green jacket — marking a 20% decline from the previous year and the lowest since Hideki Matsuyama’s win in 2021 — Spiranac suggested that current issues within the sport might be influencing viewer interest.
“Golf is in an interesting spot right now. People turned off by all the money talk and the industry’s unwillingness to try new things. Some change needs to happen,” she commented.
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Spiranac pointed towards the ongoing tensions between the PGA Tour and the Saudi-backed LIV Golf, which has been contentious due to its significant financial incentives drawing top players.
Notably, last June, the PGA Tour announced an unexpected partnership with LIV Golf, yet progress in resolving these tensions seems slow. Tiger Woods, at the Masters, indicated optimism about the direction of these efforts.
The 2024 Masters saw Scheffler defending his title with vigor, leading to his victory with an 11-under par final score. The previous year’s Masters had higher viewership, featuring Jon Rahm’s win and notable performances from LIV Golf players Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson, attracting an average of 12.06 million viewers — the highest in five years. This event also coincided with Easter Sunday, which boosted its out-of-home viewership by 21% compared to only a 9% increase this year.
Throughout the week at Augusta, Spiranac, who has a significant following of four million on Instagram, shared updates and content, including praise for Max Homa’s performance, who tied for third place with Collin Morikawa. “Max is such a good guy and you know he’s so close to getting that major win!” she posted after the tournament.
Looking ahead, the PGA Tour is set to continue at the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head, S.C., this week, while LIV Golf heads to Adelaide, Australia, the following week.
