PGA TOUR Commentator Shades LIV Golf’s Weak Viewership with Clever Jab

PGA TOUR Commentator Colt Knost shaded LIV Golf’s recently released and very underwhelming viewership for its initial tournament of the 2025 season with a clever jab during the WM Phoenix Open on Saturday.

As LIV Golf kicked off its 2025 season with a unique night tournament in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this week, many were anticipating whether the rival to the PGA TOUR would improve what were underwhelming viewership statistics last year.

However, it seemed not to be the case. Nielsen released its ratings and viewership data for LIV Golf this week, showing just 12,000 people tuned in to their first tournament of 2025:

🆘LIV Season Opener TV Viewership (Per Nielsen)#LIVGolfRiyadh 1st Round *averaged only 12,000 viewers* from 10a-3p on FS2.

Paltry viewership aside – it’s so sad to me guys like Rahm, Cam, Joaco, etc… are playing the prime of their career in golf obscurity😔 pic.twitter.com/RYK1zwpfiH

— @YeahClickClack (@YeahClickClack) February 7, 2025

At this weekend’s WM Phoenix Open, the PGA TOUR always anticipates a big crowd. The event itself features the famous 16th hole, which is surrounded by a “stadium,” which seats 24,000 people and is amongst the wildest environments in all of sports, let alone just golf.

Knost made the attendance inside the 16th public knowledge during the broadcast yesterday, and he made sure to let everyone know the crowd at the hole was double what LIV Golf managed to gather in terms of television viewership:

“That’s 12,000 times two if I’m not mistaken”

Colt Knost went after LIV Golf for its reported 12,000 viewers during a round of its Riyadh tournament earlier this week

pic.twitter.com/hBfvyejoWn

— Golficity (@Golficity) February 8, 2025

Knost said:

“There are 24,000 people circled around the coliseum. That’s 12,000 times two if I’m not mistaken.”

It seems pretty obvious where Knost was going with this comment. However, it is important to note that the PGA TOUR has also suffered incredibly low and lagging viewership figures over the past two seasons compared to others.

With that being said, it is a good representation of what is going on with the sport of golf: Entertainment, not quality of play, is what is attracting viewers.

Cover Image via Golf Monthly