NBC Sports Chief Says LIV Golf ‘Is Not Relevant in This Country’

Speaking to Golf.com, Sam Flood called the Saudi-backed circuit a “total sideshow” and referenced its subpar ratings.

NBC Sports's executive producer doesn't believe LIV Golf is a successful business model. / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

NBC Sports’s executive producer and president of production, Sam Flood, had some choice words about LIV Golf. 

Speaking to Golf.com, Flood was asked about the state of NBC’s golf production. The network produces an abundance of PGA Tour events, along with the U.S. Open and British Open. In addition, Golf Channel broadcasts every Tour event in some capacity; however, the channel will be spun off to a new publicly traded company called Versant.

PGA Tour ratings have mostly rebounded this season from a down year in 2024, and Flood believes part of that can be attributed to LIV’s effect wearing off. 

“The LIV stuff is almost a total sideshow,” Flood said. 

The Saudi-backed circuit, which has poached notable names from the PGA Tour, debuted in 2022 and signed with the CW Network in 2023. Ahead of this year, LIV signed a multi-year deal with Fox Sports, but ratings have been abysmal. 

“The reality is, [LIV’s] opportunity was when the tournament happened in Doral [LIV Miami], and they had every name on the leaderboard and no one paid attention,” Flood said. 

That week, in April, LIV had 484,000 viewers during the final round on Fox and was the circuit’s highest rating ever. However, it went head-to-head with the PGA Tour’s Valero Texas Open on NBC, which drew 1,746,000 people despite a mundane, runaway victory from 2023 British Open champion Brian Harman. 

“Yeah,” Flood said. “That to me said [the LIV] product is not relevant in this country.”

As the PGA Tour and LIV negotiate a deal to unify, it seems Jay Monahan’s crew has all the leverage to agree on their terms. And Flood’s words enhance that statement with a bulk of PGA Tour events under his supervision.