Superstar Jon Rahm has welcomed news LIV Golf has now formally confirmed it has signed a multi-million dollar broadcast deal in the US with Fox Sports declaring, in part, ‘the PGA Tour now is without certain players is not as entertaining as it was before’.
While talks between LIV and the established PGA Tour continue, the deal suggests that the breakaway league is unlikely to disappear any time soon.
LIV has previously been broadcast on The CW, drawing small ratings on a channel not known for sports coverage while this new multi-million dollar new deal will see LIV tournaments on the main FOX channel along with FS1, the company’s flagship sports channel.
TOP @livgolf_league STAR WECOMES @FOXSports TV DEAL BUT DECLARES ….
With former World No. 1 & top Jon Rahm saying: “It’s timely as @PGATOUR without certain players is not entertaining”.
Read: https://t.co/4JEifDpD5w
✅ @TOURMISS @Record_Sport… pic.twitter.com/CqpRJvFubr
— Fatiha (@TOURMISS) January 16, 2025
Select rounds will also be shown on secondary channel FS2 as well as streamed on the Fox Sports app.
“It’s great that a channel of FOX’s magnitude is giving LIV that opportunity, it’s incredible, hopefully, and that’s not only going to be shown in the US but to the rest of the world”, said Rahm post his opening round three-under 69 at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in Dubai,
“Well, but that helps, I imagine that this will make other channels in other countries dare to give LIV a chance, which in the end, in terms of golf is another product that I think many people, given the option, would like, so in terms of, or as far as LIV is concerned, it is obviously something very important that in the largest market in the world a channel that is in every American home to watch it.
“So very happy, although I already knew it, very happy that it is already public and looking forward to seeing how the year goes”.
News of the FOX signing to broadcast LIV Golf is timely as golf fans are turning away in droves from TV coverage of the both the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour.
“I find watching the PGA Tour boring and it’s the same with SKY covering the DP World Tour, as I just cannot get interested anymore watching so many no-names competing for outrageous sums of money, money that really they do not deserve to be playing for” is what fans are saying.
Rahm was asked his thoughts on this view.
“It’s difficult to explain, because I think there is a little bit of everything, there will be a great majority that is not very happy because maybe they are not very interested in the LIV or they have something against it and do not want to watch it and the PGA Tour now is without certain players is not as entertaining as it was before”, he said.
“There’s a little bit of everything, there have been people who say they don’t watch either one, there are people who say they watch both and they love it, there are people who say they watch one or the other, there’s a little bit of everything.
“I think that as it is now, if now is the best moment, it would not be very good for golf, because there are many people who are not happy with the current product, but if there is a certain agreement between the PIF and the PGA Tour, which might calm the waters in which we are sailing now, it would give us the opportunity to be able to demonstrate much better projects and products.
“And it is a little bit what I always say, whoever sees my interviews I repeat it, I will repeat it again, we are at a time when there is a great opportunity to create something special, whatever it is and how it is, it is difficult to explain because I am not in charge, there are others who are in charge, but there are enough people with a lot of capacity and intelligence and a lot of capital to create something special, so hopefully in the near or very distant future things will get better and the golfers who are at home will have options to see what they want to see.”
Well said Jon!