Did this reporter take a shot at LIV Golf's TV ratings during the WM Phoenix Open?
Shots fired.
LIV Golf's first event of 2025 concluded Saturday, with Adrian Meronk taking the title in Riyadh. The league debuted on Fox Sports this week, with the event taking place under the lights and being broadcast in the morning and into the early afternoon in the United States on FS2 all three days.
When Nielsen released the initial ratings for the broadcast, they were not good. Only 12,000 people tuned in to the first round, but that number may be a bit deceiving. First, FS2 isn't in as many homes as the CW, LIV Golf's old broadcast partner. Second, the event wasn't in primetime. Ratings will also be higher when LIV events are on FS1 and especially Fox, but just how high is to be determined. LIV Golf's first U.S. event on Fox is at Trump Doral in April, a week before the Masters.
Nevertheless, the 12,000 number isn't good. It's way less than the number of people who will attend LIV Golf Adelaide next week, and it's also fewer than the number of people on a certain hole this week.
CBS' Colt Knost and Amanda Balionis were parked out at TPC Scottsdale's par-3 16th hole during the third round of the WM Phoenix Open, and shortly after CBS came on air, Knost took a chance to point out just how many people were on the famous par-3.
Around 24,000 circled around the coliseum here. That's 12,000 times two if my math is right.' - @ColtKnost 😉 pic.twitter.com/q1KiQaClDB
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 8, 2025
As mentioned above, the 12,000 number is not positive any way you spin it, but it's also important to note the context of the viewership.
But at a time when golf ratings are down across the board, and LIV continues to try to build a fanbase, a figure like the initial one isn't going to help quiet the naysayers.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: CBS' Colt Knost takes subtle shot at LIV Golf TV ratings during WM

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Scottie Scheffler Reveals Concerning Message Ahead of The U.S. Open
Scottie Scheffler Reveals Concerning Message Ahead of The U.S. Open originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The U.S. Open is back this week, and it's shaping up to be one of the most anticipated majors of the year. With Oakmont Country Club hosting, fans and players alike know it's going to be a brutal test of both physical skill and mental endurance. Known for its tight fairways, deep rough, and lightning-fast greens, Oakmont doesn't leave much room for error. The lowest winning score at this venue? Just 5-under. Advertisement Scottie Scheffler, fresh off wins at the Memorial and the PGA Championship, enters as the betting favorite but he's not letting the noise get to him. 'The U.S. Open compared to the Masters is a completely different type of test. I think in the Masters you have a lot more shot making when you get around the greens,' Scheffler said at his press conference Tuesday. Scottie Scheffler looks at the trophy on hole No. 18 after the final round of the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Course on Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Scheffler, currently the world number one, offered a unique perspective on how the U.S. Open differs from other majors. 'It's just a different type of test,' he said. Comparing it to tennis, where majors are played on different surfaces. "When you miss a green at the Masters, the ball kind of runs away and it goes into these areas and you can play a bump, you can play a flop," Scheffler said. He emphasized how strength and precision will be key, saying, ' Here, when you hit the ball over the green, you're just getting some heavy rough and it's like, let me see how I can pop the ball out of this rough and somehow give myself a look.' Advertisement "It's just a different type of test." With Scheffler in top form and Oakmont ready to bite, the 2025 U.S. Open promises a thrilling ride. Related: Cameras Catch Scottie Scheffler's Son's Special Moment at PGA Championship This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.


Fox Sports
27 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
US Open gets a peaceful day of practice ahead of tough test that awaits at Oakmont
Associated Press OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — Serenity at Oakmont could be found Wednesday morning when Rory McIlroy stood on the first tee as the sun rose against a hazy sky on the horizon. He was playing with his best mate in golf, Shane Lowry, their final practice before the U.S. Open. The peace gets shattered as soon as the score starts to count. Even with Scottie Scheffler in full flight as the No. 1 player in golf, even as McIlroy tries to build on his dream moment of being the Masters champion, as Bryson DeChambeau gets a chance to see if his brawn can handle this rough, there has been one name — Oakmont — that rises above all others going into the 125th U.S. Open. 'Oakmont is relentless,' said John Bodenhamer, the chief championships officer at the USGA who sets up the course for the toughest test in golf. 'There's no letup. It's a grind. That's the U.S. Open.' It gets started on Thursday with Matt Vogt, the former Oakmont caddie now an Indiana dentist, selected to hit the opening tee shot. Jon Rahm, who won his U.S. Open four years ago at Torrey Pines, made his debut at Oakmont in 2016 when he was fresh out of Arizona State. He shot 76 on the first day, went 1-over par the rest of the way and finished as low amateur. Even with changes to the course from a restoration project, including a ditch that now meanders across the landing area in the 10th fairway, the Spanish star has a better idea what to expect. 'You're aware of what a golf tournament here is going to be like. It's going to be a challenge,' Rahm said. 'A lot of unfortunate things are going to happen. It's hard fairways to hit, bad lies, difficult bunkers, difficult greens. It's going to be a nice test, a difficult test, and I think one of the truest representations of what a U.S. Open is all about.' Dustin Johnson set the Oakmont scoring record for a U.S. Open at 276 when he won in 2016. The USGA mentioned a few other numbers that also describe Oakmont, mainly the 5-inch rough so dense at the bottom there were no guarantees a golf ball might be lost. Another number had historical context — only 27 of the 1,385 players who have competed in a major championship at Oakmont finished under par. That includes when Oakmont, now a par 70, was played as a par 71 or par 72. 'Our mantra is tough but fair,' Bodenhamer said. "And what does that mean? It's pretty simple. It's not about the score. It's about getting every club in a player's bag dirty, all 15 of them — the 14 in their bag and the one between the ears. And we work hard on that. 'And that's how we've gone about our business here at Oakmont.' The other number that stands out is 10 — the number of times the USGA has brought its marquee championship to the course built to be tough in 1903. No other course has held the U.S. Open more often. The USGA has been accused over the years of trying to protect par, which it long has denied. Johnny Miller remains the only player to win the U.S. Open with a 63 in the final round, in 1973 at Oakmont. The following year, Hale Irwin won at 7-over par in what became known as the 'Massacre at Winged Foot.' It also fed into the belief that par matters. In some respects, it does. Bodenhamer was asked what score would indicate the USGA didn't get it right. 'Interesting question,' he replied. 'Off the top of my head, something in double digits. I've said this before, we don't want 20 over to win and we don't want 20 under to win. It might be tough. It might not be tough enough. There's a number in there somewhere." Scheffler is in search of the third leg of the career Grand Slam after winning the PGA Championship by five shots at Quail Hollow last month. Scheffler has won his last three tournaments — all in a five-week stretch — by a combined 17 shots. 'What is he doing? Well, everything,' Justin Thomas said. "It's effortless. Every single aspect of his game is unbelievable. I think his mental game is better than anybody out here. To be able to play with those expectations and to stay present as often as he has to me is maybe more impressive than even the golf he's playing. 'He just doesn't make any mistakes and almost kind of lets himself be in contention versus forces himself in contention. He just seems to be playing better.' If there is a common trait among U.S. Open champions at Oakmont, strength would be on the list. Johnson won in 2016, Angel Cabrera in 2007, big Ernie Els in 1994. The first of 18 professional majors by Jack Nicklaus and those powerful legs came at Oakmont in 1962. 'I'd say there's definitely a strength factor coming out of the rough,' Scheffler said. 'I don't really know if this is a golf course you can necessarily just overpower with a bomb-and-gouge type strategy, especially with the way the rough is.' Scheffler's strength, much like Tiger Woods, is knowing where to miss and playing the angles. That works almost anywhere. Almost. 'There's not really many areas where you step on the tee box and you're like, 'Hey, I can miss it right here; hey, I can shade towards the left side of the fairway because right is really bad,'' he said. "Actually, if you hit it in the right rough, you're probably not going to get it to the green. If you hit it in the left rough, you're probably not going to get it to the green. So might as well try and split the difference there and hit it in the middle.' Sounds simple enough. It rarely is at Oakmont. And that's just the way the USGA likes it. ___ AP golf:


USA Today
27 minutes ago
- USA Today
These are some of the more interesting prop bets from BetMGM for the 2025 U.S. Open
These are some of the more interesting prop bets from BetMGM for the 2025 U.S. Open Who's your U.S. Open pick? World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, winner of three of his last four starts, including the most recent major, the PGA Championship? Maybe it's Rory McIlroy. He completed the career grand slam in April when he won the first major of 2025 at the Masters. Perhaps you feel like Bryson DeChambeau is going to go back-to-back in the national championship, while adding a third USGA trophy to his mantle. Those three are among the top four in MGM's odds for the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club. Tournament winner odds for the 2025 U.S. Open Scottie Scheffler +275 Bryson DeChambeau +750 Jon Rahm +1200 Rory McIlroy +1400 Ludvig Aberg +2200 Xander Schauffele +2200 There's a long list of items prospective bettors can make wagers on. From the MGM website, here are a few more interesting ones. Winning margin at 2025 U.S. Open 1 stroke +250 2 strokes +350 3 strokes +650 4 or more strokes +333 Will there be a hole-in-one in any round? Yes +140 No -175 Will the 2025 U.S. Open end in a playoff? Yes +350 No -500 Will an American win the U.S. Open? Any U.S. player -165 The field +130 Will a LIV golfer win the U.S. Open? Yes +350 Will there be an albatross at any point this week? Yes +1600