Rory McIlroy’s warning about dwindling golf viewership has proven accurate, as recent figures reveal a significant drop in television audiences for the sport. The Northern Irish golfer had earlier predicted that the ongoing feud between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour would turn fans away from men’s professional golf.

The divide in the sport began with the launch of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf in 2021, leading to a split between players and tours. While the PGA Tour initially suspended players who joined LIV, a framework agreement was signed a year later. Despite this, golf’s popularity has continued to suffer.

According to the Sports Business Journal, the PGA Tour’s Sunday broadcasts in 2024, excluding major tournaments, drew an average of 2.2 million viewers, a 19% drop from 2023’s 2.7 million. Saturday viewership also declined, falling by 17% from 1.8 million to 1.5 million.

Several factors have contributed to this slump, including clashes with NFL coverage and weather-related tournament delays. However, the absence of prominent players like Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, and Phil Mickelson—who defected to LIV Golf—has left a noticeable void in the PGA Tour lineup. Additionally, the ongoing tensions between the two tours may have fatigued fans, as McIlroy had earlier suggested.

In a statement earlier this year, McIlroy expressed concern about the sport’s declining audience, saying, “I just think with the fighting and everything that’s gone on over the past couple years, people are getting fatigued, and it’s turning them off men’s professional golf.”

McIlroy, a four-time major champion and former member of the PGA Tour’s policy board, also pointed out the potential impact on golf’s most prestigious events. “It will be really interesting to see how the Major championship numbers fare… If the numbers aren’t as good, it’s an argument to say we need to put everyone back together because people are losing interest.”

The recent viewership data reinforces McIlroy’s belief that golf may need to unify to rekindle the public’s interest, as the current divide continues to alienate fans from the sport.