LIV Golf aired on The CW for the first time this weekend. Both sides had to be thankful that no money changed hands in the deal because the ratings were abysmal. John Ourand of Sports Business Journal reported that the Saturday broadcast drew just a 0.2 rating.
Joe Rose doesn’t believe that number is enough to make anyone involved with LIV Golf give their venture a second thought. The WQAM morning man said all anyone involved with the Saudi-backed golf tour cares about is that the checks clear.
“I don’t think anybody’s worried,” Rose said on Monday. “I saw the winner got what, $3 or $4 million dollars? They split team money. $3 million divided by four guys on each team that won.”
Last year, all of the tour’s events were only accessible in the United States via YouTube. LIV Golf found very little appetite for its television rights on the open market before the start of the new season.
Rose isn’t so sure the tour is ready to be buried just yet. Despite the PGA Tour’s attempts to intervene, there are tournaments where PGA and LIV golfers will be playing together. Rose expects those events expose LIV Golf to new audiences.
“The best players are gonna be playing in all the majors. It’s gonna be great for business. The LIV players and the PGA players, there’s a bunch of bad blood.”
LIV Golf’s next event will be played at the Gallery Golf Club in Tucson, AZ on March 17. Friday rounds will be available exclusively through The CW app. Saturday and Sunday rounds will air on the network.
