The PGA Tour‘s new series of €20m ‘designated’ tournaments have not only succeeded in its aim of getting the tour’s best players to play more often in the same events, but early reports are that they are also succeeding in attracting a bigger TV audience.
According to a report from US website The Sports Daily, viewing figures for PGA Tour events have, in some cases, gone up by over 40% compared to last season, with the final round of the Players Championship in March peaking at 42% more than for the same event in 2022.
The final round of the Genesis Invitational, which was held at Riviera Country Club in February, experienced a 31% year-on-year increase in viewers.
Currently, the PGA Tour designated event viewership is up by an average 14% compared to 2022. In addition, the PGA Tour’s social media presence across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube has also increased by 31% compared to last season.
This year’s PGA Tour features 17 designated events, including the four majors. Players who qualify for these events are required to play at least 12 and the 13 events that aren’t majors, or face a fine. Rory McIlroy chose not to play in last week’s RBC Heritage tournament in North Carolina, which, according to reports, could lead to him being fined $3m, which amounts to 25% of the $12m he was given for finishing second in last season’s Player Impact Program.
In 2024, the PGA Tour will have eight designated no-cut events with elevated purses and fields limited to 70-80 players. Four of those events will be the Sentry Tournament of Champions, the Genesis Invitational, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial Tournament. The other four have yet to be determined. In total, there will be 16 designated events, including the four majors, three FedExCup play-off events and the Players Championship.
