While the recent British Open wrapped up golf’s slate of traditional major tournaments for 2023, the season is still in full swing. The PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs will be held at events throughout August, while the biennial Ryder Cup will pit America and Europe’s best pros against one another this September, and the LIV Golf Tour will end its season in late October. Fans of the game still have plenty of high-level events to look forward to before the quieter fall and winter portions of the calendar.
The past few years have been transformational for golf’s reach and popularity. A desire for socially-distanced recreational activities during the COVID-19 pandemic brought millions more golfers onto courses around the world. The upstart LIV Golf tour, backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, introduced new formats to increase fan engagement and lured stars like Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, and Dustin Johnson to the league. In response to LIV’s emergence, the PGA Tour made changes to its tournament schedule that have produced a boost in broadcast ratings so far in 2023. And with the recent surprise merger between the PGA, LIV, and the European Tour, all of the sport’s top players and tournaments will now be housed under the same organization with a truly global reach.
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