Tour Confidential: Nelly Korda and Scottie Scheffler excellence, TV ratings
Nelly Korda hits her tee shot on Sunday on the 13th hole at the Chevron Championship.
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Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week, we discuss Nelly Korda’s excellence, Scottie Scheffler’s excellence, TV ratings and more.
1. Nelly Korda did it again, winning the Chevron Championship to claim not only her second major title, but tie the LPGA record with her fifth straight victory. What has most impressed you about her run over the past couple of months, and what’s a realistic number of wins Korda can get to this season?
Nelly Korda’s dominance continues, wins Chevron for 5th title in a row
Dylan Dethier, senior writer (@dylan_dethier): What most impressed me? Jeez. I guess the variety. Different courses, different regions, even different formats. The match play win sent her to a different stratosphere. And different pressures! We’ve seen plenty of golfers get crowned and then wither. Nelly has done the opposite.
James Colgan, news and features editor (@jamescolgan26): Lots of options, but perhaps the fact that Nelly was able to extend the streak at a major championship, even feeling all the pressure that came with entering the week on four-straight wins. That shows serious mettle, and not the kind many in the sport are blessed with. That she was able to do so while being the fastest player in the field by a long shot? Well, that was just gravy.
Zephyr Melton, assistant editor (@zephyrmelton): It’s been impressive to watch her mental resolve during this run. In previous seasons, she likely would’ve let a couple of these get away when things didn’t go her way. But the Nelly of 2024 is just different. She’s got the mental game now to go with her sweet swing, and that should be very concerning for the rest of her competitors. As for how many she can win this year, let’s go with eight.
2. Before the tournament, defending Chevron champ Lilia Vu called Korda “kind of our Caitlin Clark,” adding, “she is bringing so much to the table — just win after win, just having it, having everything together. She’s done such a good job. So well-liked and loved out here. She brings a big following. She’s a great person.” Due to her success, is there more pressure on Korda to bring more eyeballs to the game, and should she feel obligated to do so? Or is there more pressure on the LPGA to take advantage of her run?
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Dethier: Yeah, sure, there’s pressure on her to expand the LPGA’s footprint. But her primary job is to stay atop the game. To keep winning. Everything else depends on that. So I think the pressure to capitalize on Korda’s run falls on everyone else whose job it is to make these events feel big big.
Colgan: It’s Nelly’s job to be a voice and ambassador for the LPGA and the advancements the organization plainly needs to make — but she’s been doing that for quite some time now. She’s not responsible for making the broadcasts more compelling or the pace of play faster than (checks watch) six hours. Those are the things keeping the LPGA from having their Caitlin Clark moment.
Melton: There is certainly more pressure, but that’s part of the deal when you ascend to superstar status. And if she keeps winning, it’ll be in everyone’s best interest that she does her very best to elevate women’s golf as a whole. The Tour can do their best to capitalize, but unless Nelly is fully bought in, it won’t work.
3. Just one week removed from his second Masters win, Scottie Scheffler is closing in on his fourth PGA Tour victory of the season, as he’s got a five-shot lead with three holes to play at the RBC Heritage, which will resume at 8 a.m. ET on Monday. Win or lose this week in Hilton Head, he’s continued to prove he’s on another level. When he’s at his best, is it better than anyone’s “best” since peak Tiger Woods? Or have some of his accomplishments been diminished since some top players left for LIV Golf?
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Dethier: I know that everything is politics now and everything is divisive and kinda stinks as a result, but I’d love for us to keep Scottie’s current run outside that framework. That doesn’t mean I want everyone to root for him — that would be really boring — but for at least a few days, I want to just stand back and admire the outrageous run he’s on without worrying about TV ratings, LIV rumors or what this means for the product. Anyway, he’s been really good.
Colgan: Comparison is the thief of joy. Rory had a great peak. Jordan Spieth had a great peak. Brooks had a nice stretch there. But what Scottie’s doing now — and the unbotheredness with which he’s doing it — is, well, joyful. And if he keeps this up, in a few more months, there may not be room for debate.
Melton: Yes he absolutely is. And the LIV argument would hold a little more weight if Scheffler hadn’t just dusted their top talent at the Masters last weekend. I don’t care who lines up against Scheffler these days, he’s probably going to beat them.
4. The Masters’ TV ratings fell significantly in 2024, with CBS reporting 9.59 million average viewers — nearly 2.5 million less than last year — tuned in to watch Scheffler’s victory. Sunday, notably, was down around 20 percent, which is about the same trend the PGA Tour has seen this season. (For more on this, check out and subscribe to GOLF’s Hot Mic newsletter.) Should we be concerned about the ratings? And what’s to blame? PGA Tour-LIV Golf fatigue? Scheffler’s surgical play and even-keeled demeanor? Something else?
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Colgan: Yes, we should be concerned. The reasons for it are varied, but the reality is pretty bleak: People are turning away from watching professional golf, and they’re not turning away from other professional sports. The folks who run the golf business can come up with 100 reasons behind that reality, but the simplest answer seems to be that after golf’s stakeholders spent three years telling fans they didn’t matter, a chunk of those fans actually listened!
Melton: The ratings drop seems to be in line with what we’ve seen across golf since the PGA-LIV spat began. Casual fans just don’t seem to be interested in watching a niche sport with so much infighting. Combine that with a Sunday afternoon when the result was all but decided (and with Tiger in the mix), and you have a recipe for some poor ratings.
Dethier: I guess we in the industry should be concerned. And golfers who get paid based on golf’s popularity should be concerned. But I resent the idea that being a golf fan means caring about TV ratings in such a granular way. Watch it if you like it!
5. OK, so, what’s the solution? And how does golf get there sooner rather than later?
Colgan: Yeah, fixing the Saudi quagmire is the most obvious first step. Providing a bit more clarity to the world about which events on the calendar actually matter is another. Improving the TV product is a distant (but notable) third. What happened to all those visionaries with bold plans to “revolutionize” the sport?
Melton: Getting all the top players together more than four times a year would be a good place to start. Other than that, I have no idea. That’s way above my paygrade.
Dethier: Put some of that SSG cash to use and make the big events — a limited schedule of legacy events with built-in meaning — feel bigger. Tap into what makes each event unique. Dial up the drama and the meaning. Make the spectator experience unforgettable. Put Tiger Woods in a time machine. Draft Caitlin Clark. I dunno …
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