“Not changing unless Tiger Woods is in contention," - Byeong Hun An clashes with golf journalist over viewership debate
Byeong Hun An feels only Tiger Woods in the field can improve the PGA Tour's viewership crisis. He recently got into a debate with golf journalist Kyle Porter on golf's slow play situation and the game's current state.
On Saturday, January 25, Harris English claimed the Farmers Insurance Open title, shooting a 73 in the final round to defeat Sam Stevens by one stroke and secure his fifth PGA Tour victory.
After the Farmers Insurance Open's final group took over 5 hours and 29 minutes to finish, popular golf journalist Kyle Porter took to X to highlight the slow play situation on the PGA Tour.
"The PGA Tour has a lot of problems right now," he wrote. "Foremost among them might be that it's a lot more fun and entertaining to watch your favorite YouTubers play fascinating courses for 40 minutes than it is to watch Andrew Novak and Sam Stevens duke it out at Torrey for 400 minutes."
Byeong Hun An wasn't on the same page with Porter.
"At this rate, all the pro golfers are going quit their job and be a YouTuber," he replied. "Golf always has been 5+ hour coverage. As we get younger audiences, it’s hard for them to be entertained for that long. Whereas YouTube, you can skip certain sections or watch shorts.
"What’s wrong with have English, Novak and Stevens in contention? The views? It’s not changing unless Tiger is in contention these days," he added.
Recently, there has been a sharp decline in PGA Tour viewership. Last week, the final round of the American Express garnered only 232K viewers, a 56% drop compared to the 2024 edition. Other events have also struggled to attract a strong audience, pointing to the poor state of golf.
On the contrary, the PNC Championship, which featured Tiger Woods, drew 2.92 million viewers during the opening round. Similarly, TGL Match 2, also featuring the 15-time major winner, was the most-watched of the three matches played so far.
Will Tiger Woods play at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am?
Tiger Woods will not be playing at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the next event on the PGA Tour schedule. The fifth event of the season is set to take place from January 30 to February 2 at Pebble Beach Golf Links in California.
However, Tiger Woods will be in action next week at TGL Match 4. His team, Jupiter Links GC, will face Rory McIlroy’s Boston Common GC on Monday, January 27, at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, California.
While Boston Common will be making its debut in the tech-infused league, Woods’ Jupiter Links will be playing their second match following a heavy defeat in their opening round.