2024 Wyndham Championship draws only 1,400,000 viewers after competing with Paris Olympics closing ceremony
English golfer Aaron Rai took home the title of the 2024 Wyndham Championship last weekend. However, the finale of the event, like the rest of the tournament, suffered from poor viewership.
The final round of the event was held on Sunday, August 11th, the same day as the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Olympics closing ceremony is arguably a larger event and the presence of iconic performers such as Billie Eilish, H.E.R, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Tom Cruise made it that much harder for the Wyndham Championship finale to compete with the ceremony for views.
According to Josh Carpenter of the Sports Business Journal, 1.438 million viewers on CBS watched the final round of the Wyndham Championship. Last year, when Lucas Glover won the title, the viewership was around 1.671 million.
The 2024 Wyndham Championship was played under tricky conditions. The schedule kept getting delayed due to Tropical Storm Debby and even when the event was on, the weather was not ideal.
There was a weather delay last year as well when Lucas Glover took home the title. Aaron Rai won the 2024 edition of the event at Sedgefield Country Club.
Why did Matt Kuchar face backlash at the 2024 Wyndham Championship?
US golfer Matt Kuchar faced immense backlash at the 2024 Wyndham Championship after he chose to not continue to play on Sunday evening. He was the only player to do so and had to come back Monday morning to play the 18th hole.
He received the line-of-sight relief that helped him make par on the final hole. The relief saved him a lot of time.
For the unversed, line-of-sight relief is used when the ball has been lodged behind an obstruction that cannot be moved. If this immovable obstruction is between the ball and the hole and if a relief is permissible within the rules, it is given. The player is allowed to move the ball laterally from where they have a clear shot to the hole.
Many fans were irked by Matt Kuchar receiving this relief since he was the only player who didn't finish on Sunday and came back on Monday to complete his round. Kuchar finished the event tied for 12th place which didn't boost his position in the standings for the FedEx St. Jude Championship this week. He needed a victory to qualify for the Playoffs.
According to the Golf Digest, Matt Kuchar apologized for making everyone come out on Monday for what turned out to be a rather short affair.