Golf analyst taunts LIV Golf after Players Championship

The Players Championship, after a delay in the fourth round, ended in a tie, forcing Rory McIlroy and J.J. Spaun to have to return the next morning for a three-hole playoff by themselves. That drew over 1.5 million viewers across digital platforms, a startling number for an early-morning finish.

One golf analyst who’s been pretty outspoken against LIV loved to see it. “Compare this to LIV’s finale last year that concluded in prime time on the east coast with Rahm winning… which drew 55,000 viewers,” Brandel Chamblee wrote on X. “People tune in to sports that matter.”

It’s worth noting that Chamblee’s numbers, according to Golf.com, are not quite accurate. The second round of the tournament he’s referencing for LIV had 134,000 viewers, and the third round got 89,000. That’s not high, but it’s not as low as Chamblee indicated. Jon Rahm also won in Chicago, which is not on the East Coast. It’s also important to note that the Players Championship is one of golf’s biggest tournaments, so it naturally drew a crowd. It’s been considered the fifth Major tournament, which effectively makes it bigger than everything but the Masters, PGA Championship, US Open, and Open Championship. Still, Chamblee was resolute. He even doubled down.

“The PGA Tour is killing it and LIV is dying a slow costly death,” Chamblee wrote again. “LIV players have seller’s remorse. They want the meritocratic cachet that competing at the highest level confers but they have shown in their choice to play for LIV that they’d rather have the money first and sue for the cachet. Trying to blur the distinction between gift and reward.” Chamblee has missed very few chances to dogpile on LIV Golf and its players. He has admitted that he’d like to see the merger go through, but he maintains a staunch anti-LIV stance that extends to every part of the tour.