Hank Haney makes surprise prediction about PGA Tour ratings if LIV Golf players all rejoined the tour

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It’s been a difficult start to 2025 for the PGA Tour after the first four events of the season throw up a multitude of issues.

The viewing figures at The Sentry were down compared to 2024. Golf fans were not overly interested in watching Hideki Matsuyama shoot 35 under on a completely uncompetitive venue.

A week later, at the Sony Open, a weakened field saw interest dwindle once more. Slow play marred the American Express at PGA West.

Finally, the PGA Tour was dealt another blow at the Farmers Insurance Open. Eighteen players withdrew from the Torrey Pines event.

Would LIV Golf players improve PGA Tour ratings?

Scottie Scheffler’s return at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am should improve ratings slightly over the coming days.

However, even with the world number one in action, the PGA Tour is not proving to be the most captivating product at the moment. Hank Haney, Tiger Woods’ former coach, has claimed that even the reintroduction of LIV Golf players wouldn’t boost the ratings.

“Boy it is hard to watch. I find it so hard to watch golf nowadays. I know people rip LIV, but if I want to watch golf I at least want to see players hit some shots,” Haney said in his latest podcast.

“The PGA Tour, the final round at Torrey Pines, the first nine holes took three hours to play. They are playing in threesomes. I don’t think if they got rid of LIV, if they put all the LIV players back on to the PGA Tour if they stopped talking about money, they could do all those things, and I still don’t think their ratings are going to be great.

“Everything would have an incremental effect on it, but three hours! Why don’t they do something? Even if it would have some kind of effect, any kind of effect. It took them five hours and 29 minutes to play a round of golf when you are playing in a threesome. How can people watch this? I tell you what the answer is, they don’t.”

• READ MORE: How Scottie Scheffler was looking on the range ahead of a practice round at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Which LIV Golf players would the PGA Tour want back?

Since the emergence of LIV Golf back in 2022, no breakaway league player has returned to golf’s traditional circuit. Any golfer who left to play for LIV is banned from the PGA Tour for 12 months from their last event on the Saudi-backed venture.

The DP World Tour, on the other hand, has been far more relaxed about LIV players. If fines are settled, they’re free to play.

Despite the animosity shown towards LIV, there are clearly some big names who the PGA Tour would dearly love to have back. YouTube star Bryson DeChambeau is one of golf’s most popular players and is sorely missed.

Furthermore, Tyrrell Hatton and Jon Rahm–two of the sport’s elite players–would no doubt improve the overall product.