LIV Golf’s Broadcast Debut on Fox Falls Short Against PGA Tour’s Valero Open

Despite High Hopes, LIV Golf’s Viewership Trails Significantly Behind PGA Tour

LIV Golf’s inaugural broadcast on Fox was met with anticipation, especially with marquee players like Sergio Garcia, Bryson DeChambeau, and Phil Mickelson in contention. However, the final round on Sunday attracted an average of only 484,000 viewers.

In stark contrast, the PGA Tour’s Valero Texas Open, which lacked many of its star players, drew an average of 1.746 million viewers during its final round on NBC. This is a wildly disappointing development for the LIV Tour.

A Silver Lining Amidst Challenges

While the numbers are underwhelming, it’s worth noting that this was LIV Golf’s highest U.S. viewership to date, surpassing their previous record of 432,000 viewers during the 2024 season opener on The CW.

Golf viewership from Sunday

PGA Tour: 1.746M viewers for Brian Harman’s win in the Valero Texas Open (NBC).

LIV Golf: 484,000 for Marc Leishman’s win at LIV Miami (Fox).

— Josh Carpenter (@JoshACarpenter) April 8, 2025

These figures highlight the challenges LIV Golf faces in establishing a foothold in the competitive golf broadcasting landscape. Despite securing a spot on a major network and featuring prominent players, the league’s viewership still lags behind the PGA Tour. As both tours continue to navigate their coexistence, LIV Golf will need to strategize effectively to enhance its appeal and viewership in future events.

A Missed Opportunity on a Major Stage

The Miami event, hosted on U.S. soil with household names in contention and no time zone barrier to contend with, was seen as a crucial opportunity for LIV to prove its domestic appeal. And yet, despite favorable conditions and high visibility, the final numbers show a fanbase still slow to invest. With the PGA Tour’s star power diluted that week ahead of the Masters, LIV had a clear runway — and failed to take off.

LIV Golf Miami – 484k Viewers on Sunday FOX…
YIKES, this is pretty dismal… Even I thought LIV was likely to be much further along than this. They won’t have any better opportunity than than Miami until the last 2 events of the year. pic.twitter.com/sLaOj17tpt

— Robopz (@Robopz) April 8, 2025

This raises real concerns about LIV’s trajectory moving forward. The league’s heavy financial backing from the Saudi Public Investment Fund has kept it afloat, but a failure to convert that investment into consistent fan engagement could spell long-term instability. If viewership doesn’t begin to reflect the magnitude of the investment, questions about sustainability — and relevance — will only grow louder.

What Comes Next?

As Augusta National hosts the Masters this week — one of the rare events where stars from both tours compete head-to-head — the focus will once again shift to unification talks. But with the PGA Tour recently rejecting a $1.5 billion investment proposal from LIV’s backers, that conversation feels more distant than ever. If LIV Golf was hoping its big broadcast debut would force the issue, the results from Sunday may have done just the opposite.

The numbers don’t lie. Star power helps, but without meaningful traction from fans, LIV Golf is still fighting to prove it belongs.