Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau competed in a star-studded match in Las Vegas earlier this week, but it seems interest from fans was low

Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler’s clash with Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau served up the second-lowest TV figures in the history of ‘The Match’ series, in damning warning to both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.

McIlroy and Scheffler of the PGA Tour prevailed over LIV’s Koepka and DeChambeau in Las Vegas, easing past their rivals in the for-TV matchplay event. The match was a highly anticipated one in the world of golf, providing a rare chance for the top players from both sides of the sport’s recent fallout to go head-to-head on the course.

Despite the star-studded lineup, the event clearly failed to resonate with fans, with Sports Business Journal reporting that it pulled in just 625,000 across TNT and TBS in the United States.

It continues the pattern of tumbling viewing numbers across men’s professional golf as a whole, with both the PGA Tour and LIV struggling to draw in large audiences. The PGA Tour averaged 2.2 million Sunday viewers from their events outside of the majors in 2024, a 19 percent fall on the year prior.

LIV meanwhile saw an average of just 89,000 tune in to their individual season finale in Chicago in September on The CW Network, as Jon Rahm banked the year-long crown and and a £14.3 million ($18m) payout. The theme has been ongoing over the last two years, with the game left split in two.

Fans have seemingly switched off from the ongoing financial arms race between the two tours, kicked off following LIV’s move onto the scene in June 2022. Heading into The Match on Monday, those involved had spoken openly about how they felt it was a chance for fans to see the sport come back together.

Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau came up short against Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy in the highly-anticipated ‘The Showdown’ ( Image: Getty Images for The Showdown)

“This isn’t just a contest between some of golf’s major champions; it’s an event designed to energise the fans,” McIlroy said in the build-up. “We’re all here to put on a great show and contribute to a goodwill event that brings the best together again.

“We all want to see more of the best golfers in the world going head-to-head, battling it out on the back nine of a tournament. At a time where the professional game has felt divided, we believe this event can bring fans an incredible day of entertainment.”

The Northern Irishman added: “I think with everything that has went on, it was really about us saying, you know what, we’re going to take this into our own hands a little bit. And we’re going to do something basically outside of either tour, to give something back to the fans.

“To show them, you know, at least let them know that we’re trying to provide entertainment … the players want to play together more often.” The PGA Tour remain in negotiations with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF), after the announcement of a framework agreement in June 2023.