On Sunday, five-time major winner Brooks Koepka and two-time major winner Jon Rahm faced-off in a sudden-death showdown with $4 million on the line. In some alternate reality where Koepka and Rahm were still duking it on the PGA Tour, this would have been must-see TV. Instead, it was the pro golf equivalent of a tree falling in the Amazon.
Despite the initial fervor surrounding the disruptor league and the seemingly unlimited financial reserves of the Saudi Private Investment Fund, LIV Golf—where Koepka and Rahm ply their trade in this universe—has failed to catch on with golf fans. Nowhere has this been made more explicit than in Sunday’s TV ratings, which saw a high-stakes duel between two of the league’s biggest stars beaten handily by midday pickleball.