The CJ Cup Byron Nelson came under fire from golf fans after its ridiculously low scoring.
Wyndham Clark won the event with a score of 30-under par, followed closely by Si Woo Kim and Scottie Scheffler. This was the second year in a row that the winner at TPC Craig Ranch shot below 30-under, as the golf course proved too easy for PGA Tour pros.
The golf course underwent a $25 million renovation led by Lanny Wadkins to make it more difficult, but these efforts clearly failed this year. Golf fans online weren’t happy with how easily the players picked the place apart.
But TV viewership figures show that the CJ Cup was actually far more popular than you would assume by reading fans’ opinions on social media.
CJ Cup Byron Nelson had the most-watched third round on the PGA Tour in 12 months
While the CJ Cup proved to be unpopular among many fans online, that was not reflected in the TV viewership figures. The event has the most-watched third round on cable the PGA Tour has seen in 12 months, even more than The Players or any Signature Event.
Josh Carpenter posted to X: “Good early numbers for the CJ Cup Byron Nelson:
“Friday: 804,000 viewers on Golf Channel, the most-watched weekday telecast in the history of the event on the network.
“That’s also the most watched weekday telecast for the event since ’05, the year Tiger’s cut streak ended.
“Saturday’s lead-in on Golf Channel was at 1.15M, the most watched third round of a tour event on cable since last year’s Memorial.
“Lanny’s renovation paying off?”
While the renovation’s effects didn’t show up on the leaderboard, it might have done so in the TV numbers. These are truly mind-bending numbers for an event of this size.
What CJ Cup TV viewership says about PGA Tour fans
This is a stark reminder that most golf fans do not live on social media. While hardcore fans take to X to voice their complaints, these numbers show that the majority of the audience doesn’t engage in this online commentary.
While hardcore fans like a difficult test, that isn’t reflected in these numbers. Above all, casual viewers want entertainment, low scoring, and a big-name player in the mix.
Scottie Scheffler, playing in his home state of Texas, was well in contention for the weekend, which appeared to draw in a host of viewers who tuned in for the birdie fest.
That’s a clear indication for the PGA Tour that while fans online weren’t happy with the setup, they don’t need to concern themselves too much that these types of events will push fans away.
