The YouTube figures for R1 of LIV Golf Jeddah were SHOCKING!
Just 17,000 golf fans around the world were tuned in to see Brooks Koepka race to the front of the leaderboard in Saudi Arabia.
Brooks Koepka may have turned up (for once) in Round One of LIV Golf Jeddah, but it is fair to say the tournament has so far proven something of a turn off for golf fans around the world.
The Saudi-backed LIV Golf Tour has pumped hundreds of millions into its inaugural series, attracting some of the world's best players such as Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, Patrick Reed, Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson.
Four players in the current World Top 50 are also said to be to be joining LIV Golf ahead of the new 2023 season.
As it stands, coverage of LIV Golf events remain free-to-view on YouTube and the LIV Golf website.
It is understood Fox Sports have been somewhat "forced" into a new TV deal with LIV Golf in 2023, but nothing has yet been confirmed.
A report last month explained how LIV Golf "can't even give it away" at the moment.
And the latest viewing figures on YouTube would likely a paint a clearer picture as to exactly why.
No matter whether you are pro or anti LIV Golf right now, the long of the short of it is that LIV Golf tournaments (at least right now) are simply not drawing the audiences that many would have expected.
Even if it is a Friday.
As Koepka was closing in on a round of 59 (he went on to shoot a very solid 62), there were only 17,000 viewers watching coverage of the first round on YouTube.
Opinion: An observation during the LIV Golf Jeddah broadcast
Given the four-time major champion was on the verge of LIV Golf's first-ever 59, you would think many more golf fans around the world would have been locked in to see him close out his round.
But sadly not.
The first round of LIV Golf Jeddah also presented us with a giant violinist seranading the field as they closed out their rounds.
We’ve got quite the scene in the Kingdom—a woman on stilts playing the violin as Brooks Koepka flirts with 59…with 17K people streaming on YouTube worldwide. pic.twitter.com/QihYx8dbN1
— Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) October 14, 2022
A tough moment in the history of #LIVGolf#LizTruss pic.twitter.com/X2EIR03mwd
— Alex Pindar (@alexpindar) October 14, 2022
Koepka, who is looking for his first LIV Golf win this week, has moved into a three-shot lead after round one on 8-under par.
Charl Schwartzel, who won the opening event in England in June, is two shots back on 6-under par.
Patrick Reed, who ranted about "false reporting" in the media this week, is in a tie for third on 5-under par with Hideto Tanihara and Peter Uihlein.
Tournament favourites Dustin Johnson and Cameron Smith are six strokes off the pace on 2-under par.
Johnson made a complete mess of one hole, though.
