AUGUSTA, Ga. — The game of men's golf is ticking from one year to the next as Augusta National opens the door to another Masters. It's a respected tournament, the most famous on the planet, but it's also much more.
It's a measuring stick of sorts, an annual gathering to communicate how the men's game is going. How is Tiger holding up? Is Rory ready to finally win here? And, perhaps most importantly, where does the game stand in these difficult times, when the sport is becoming increasingly devastatingly divided from the people it needs most: its fans? It's all because the most fascinating matchup in the game these days is PGA Tour vs. PGA Tour. Liv?
By all accounts, golf is a sport in serious trouble as the Masters begins Thursday morning. Tiger's glory days are long gone, replaced by something more than hope. I hope he can be here this week and I hope the people who love and miss him can get him into the weekend and get up on the leaderboard.
TV ratings are down (The Players Championship is down 15 percent from last year to this year), and while it's convenient to say that's happening in all sports, we don't believe that's true. We know, because we've just followed one player through the past magical months of March Madness.
Even though some of the biggest concerns are those who risked millions of dollars of their lives for LIV's Saudi blood money, the players themselves are also concerned.
Take Bryson DeChambeau, for example.
“It's great to be together in the majors, but we want to compete. We want to compete against arguably the best players in the world, at least every week,” said the man who left playing. Compete against the best players in the world and take part in an uncut, exhibition-style golf tour. “And it needs to happen quickly. It's not a two-year thing. Just like in order to get better in sports, it needs to happen sooner rather than later. Too many people. I'm starting to lose interest.”
Honestly, I have a problem with this, but there's a line that I don't often see spoken by professional athletes in major sports: “Too many people are losing interest.” Of course, they are exactly losing interest because of the actions of people like the guy who uttered this quote.
Augusta National president Fred Ridley is understandably concerned as he watches his beloved game take an unexpected turn.
“If you look at this year's data, you'll see that golf viewership on terrestrial TV is down, while viewership for other sports and some sports is up,” he said Wednesday. ” he said. “So you can draw your own conclusions. Certainly, the fact that the best players in the world are not called up very often does not help. We do not know if there is a direct causal relationship . But I think it would be better if we were together more often.”
Part of the appeal of golf has always been the way the players conduct themselves. Golfers penalize themselves. It's something unique and noteworthy, and something that requires at least an element of sincerity.
Keep that in mind when considering defending Masters champion Jon Rahm. Back in 2022, when the golf civil war was erupting, Rahm was adamant that he had no interest in joining LIV.
“Money is great, but when[my wife]Kelly and I started talking about it, we thought, 'If we had $400 million, would our lifestyle change?' 'No, that hasn't changed one bit,' Rahm said.
“The truth is, I could retire right now with everything I've created and live a very happy life and never have to play golf again. I have never played golf before. I play for the love of the game and want to play against the best players in the world. I have always been interested in history and heritage and currently play golf for the PGA Touring has that.”
In December 2023, he left the PGA Tour for LIV.
Rahm will receive applause and cheers here this week, but he will never regain his honor. This is very fitting for these difficult times in golf. The man who lied and sold himself for money is the current Masters Champion.
