The PGA Tour has had its fair share of setbacks in the early stages of the new season, with Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy yet to feature, and Xander Schauffele withdrawing from The American Express.
It has been an uninspiring start to 2025 for the PGA Tour. The Sentry failed to attract interest from viewers as Hideki Matsuyama capitalised on the favourable conditions at Kapalua.
Meanwhile, the Sony Open did deliver a more exciting finish. However, it lacked the star power at the top of the leaderboard to really capture the imagination.
And it was largely a similar story at The American Express, as Sepp Straka secured a relatively comfortable victory. The Austrian was able to make two bogeys in the final three holes and still win by two over Justin Thomas.
Golf fans criticise ‘unbearable’ viewing at The American Express
However, fans would have been forgiven for tuning out long before Straka got across the line. As noted by Dan Rapaport on X during the final round, the last group of the day needed three and a half hours to get through 11 holes in California.
Of course, the PGA Tour has claimed to be interested in tackling slow play. Controversial changes are being made in 2026 which will, apparently, improve the situation. But clearly, many of the fans are not convinced.
One viewer wrote: ‘It’s an unbearable slog. Kills the telecast‘. Meanwhile, another posted: ‘I watched JT read and line up a 95 ft putt at 11, immediately after not one of his playing partners has done any prep work for their putts. Just inexcusable‘. And someone else simply wrote: ‘Unwatchable product when this slow.’
There were also plenty of warnings for the PGA Tour, with one fan suggesting: ‘Count me out on that. Ratings are going to be abysmal this year. More and more people are checking out. The casual fan is not excited by these leaderboards.’ It was also suggested that fans were being failed by the current product.
When it comes to potential solutions, one viewer wrote: ‘4.5 hours per round or your score does not count.’ Elsewhere, there was support for Rapaport’s suggestion, with someone posting: ‘Agree they should have a clock such as TGL does!‘
How The American Express vindicated the PGA Tour’s critics ahead of 2026
The American Express has perhaps shown why the changes coming in 2026 have come in for such criticism. Padraig Harrington labelled the changes ‘terrible’, and clearly, some took offence to the idea that they were being made to address slow play.
The number of cards handed out each year will be reduced. Meanwhile, most of the events will involve smaller fields.
And yet, there were just 71 players out there on Sunday at the Stadium Course. That is still going to be a smaller number of players than the large majority of PGA Tour events from 2026.
There are obviously going to be times when rounds do get slower. Players are playing for a lot of money, so it is imperative that they get rulings correct while out there.
However, the money will definitely not be sustainable if the fans continue to feel forced to switched off in their droves.
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