There has been a lot of talk recently about TV numbers, more specifically the TGL and its first three weeks on ESPN. However, the viewership for last week’s American Express has been released … and it’s horrific.
The PGA Tour drew a measly 232,000 viewers for Sepp Straka’s win on Sunday, according to Josh Carpenter of Sports Business Journal, down from 534,000 last year for then-amateur Nick Dunlap’s win over Xander Schauffele (T-3) and Justin Thomas (T-3). When LIV Golf’s Jon Rahm won in 2023, 391,000 tuned in.
Of course, the lose of Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler from the field decimated the chances of there being a star-studded leaderboard on Sunday.
Sepp Straka’s win at the AmEx on Sunday drew 232,000 viewers on Golf Channel.
Last year: 534k for Nick Dunlap, the first amateur winner on tour in 30+ years.
Two years ago: 391k for Jon Rahm. pic.twitter.com/1T5JbfI1xU
— Josh Carpenter (@JoshACarpenter) January 23, 2025
The continuous pattern of diminishing TV numbers for the Tour is a scary trend that doesn’t seem to be coming to a halt any time soon. Fans want to watch the best players in the game, and if they’re not near the lead with 18 holes to play, television sets aren’t being turned on.
Next week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am is the Tour’s second signature event of the year, so we’ll see if a little star power can juice the TV numbers a bit.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Viewership for last week’s American Express way down from 2024
