Rory McIlroy, citing ratings dip, says deal should 'speed up' - ESPN

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — With TV ratings falling so far this season, four-time major champion Rory McIlroy said Wednesday that he wants the «train to speed up» regarding the PGA Tour finalizing a deal with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund to reunify men's professional golf.

«These bigger signature events that we tried to create, they worked last year,» McIlroy said at TPC Sawgrass, the site of this week's 50th Players Championship. «The ratings were up, and it was great. But you look at the ratings this year for those events in the United States and everything's down.»

According to published reports, TV ratings for the final round of last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Florida, where world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler ran away with a 5-stroke victory, were down 30% compared to the final round in 2023. TV ratings for final-round coverage of the Genesis Invitational on Feb. 18 — when 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama returned to the winner's circle — were down about 5%.

The PGA Tour created the eight signature events, with purses of at least $20 million and smaller fields to bring together its best golfers more often. The remaining four signature events are the RBC Heritage, Wells Fargo Championship, Memorial Tournament and Travelers Championship.

«For whatever reason, [the signature events] are not quite capturing the imagination this year compared to last year,» McIlroy said.

The Sports Business Journal reported that amateur Nick Dunlap's improbable victory at the American Express in January was the lone PGA Tour event this season that had increased viewership compared to 2023.

«It's sort of been the same across the board with some of these bigger events,» McIlroy said. «I think fans are