Why was Jordan Spieth exempted from the 2025 Genesis Invitational? What made him eligible for participation in Signature events? Spieth had a less than mediocre 2024 barely able to challenge for a title. Moreover, he had missed most of the last quarter of the season due to his ongoing injury issues. He has been incredibly inconsistent for a while now. Spieth’s relevance as a professional golfer has taken a major hit because of that. And yet, the 31-year-old is getting exemptions in every event possible.
But the criticism against him is just as valid as the reasoning behind his inclusion. The likes of Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, & Co. may not perform at the same caliber as they used to. But, they still are some of the most marketable golfers on the PGA Tour. They bring much more to every tournament they are a part of than just their gameplay. Spieth is extremely influential in the world of golf. Hence, the sponsors don’t mind the criticism as long as they gain the viewership due to his participation.
This was the topic of discussion in the latest Drop Zone podcast between James Colgan, Dylan Dethier, and Sean Zak. Colgan stated that he had spoken to a number of broadcasters recently. Most of them are still baffled about the drastic drop in the PGA Tour’s viewership last year. To this, Zak stated, “My universal truth in terms of what delivers solid ratings is if there are PIP guys involved”. The analyst went on to explain how PIP or the Player Impact program rewards golfers who have had a lot of success on and off the course.
During the podcast, Zak went on to share, “There is a reason why Collin Morikawa was Mr. Number 11 despite winning a lot. Because he’s not really as popular as Jordan Spieth is”. Jordan Spieth is the 5th highest-ranked player on the 2024 PIP table. He sneakily bagged a handsome $4.5 million reward from the PGA Tour. This came as a surprise because of his mediocre season in 2024. However, the irony is that the PGA Tour received a lot of backlash for not including him in the featured group. Just goes to show the influence he has on the community. Commending the 3x major winner’s fame, Zak added, “ratings, when Spieth is involved, go up”. He also gave examples of how Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, and other popular golfers’ appearances ensure the “ratings go up”.
Zak also explained why the PGA Tour saw a drop in ratings in 2024. “The ratings crumbled eventually when you took half of the PIP guys and you brought them to Riyadh or to Adelaide or to playing golf in the middle of the night,” said the reporter with a sneaky jab at the 2025 LIV Golf Riyadh event. He believes that “if you bring back all the PIP guys, you have them all in one place, I think you can expect there to be a little bit of leveling off close to where golf was in 2021.” He may be talking about golfers like Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, and Brooks Koepka.
As a closing remark, Sean Zak stated, “You need the good guys healthy, you need the good guys playing against each other, and you need them playing well”. Having all the big LIV Golf names back on the PGA Tour will certainly help increase the competition in the league. That will surely increase the popularity, viewership, and TV ratings of every event.
