The Masters still sizzles. But is golf scaring off its fans?

livemint.com:

Masters weekend is here—golf’s prestige showcase, high season for green blazers and pimento cheese sandwiches, a fairway feast among the azaleas in fussy, phone-free Augusta. Who’s going to win? Prediction: A golfer! My prediction is almost never wrong. The Masters thrives on traditionalism and mystique, its organizers believing the event is bigger than any player, and they are probably correct.

But the excitement for this year’s tournament feels like even more of a reality distortion field than usual, because of what’s happening broadly in the sport: Golfers are worried that they’re losing–losing you. Not losing you to the customary golf nap, a cherished ritual for watching TV golf, even during the Masters. They’re worried they’re losing you permanently.

We’re two years into golf’s civil war—an exasperating fight between the incumbent PGA Tour and the challenger, Saudi-funded LIV Golf. Despite claims of a pending merger, the battle drags on, with separate entities, bosses, tours, fields, and styles of competition—not to mention sulky grumbling over world ranking points. On and on it goes, a tedious fray over money and power, starring the private jet clubhouse class.

Now the most obvious outcome is happening. You have key players—on both sides—getting nervous they’re pushing away the loyal golf fan. Majors like the Masters will always draw an audience, but other events? “I just think with the fighting and everything that’s [gone] on over the past couple of years, people are getting really fatigued," PGA Tour stalwart Rory McIlroy said recently.