Why The PGA Tour Is In Dire Need Of A Star Name Winner At Bay Hill This Week

The PGA Tour visits Bay Hill this week for the Arnold Palmer Invitational, but just what would Jay Monahan give for a big-name winner after a start filled with underdog tournament victors so far.

In years gone by, we'd look at the likes of amateur Nick Dunlap making history and Jake Knapp's fairytale victory as great stories, and the plethora of unheralded winners as evidence of the strength in depth on the PGA Tour. 

That's obviously still the case, and some of 2024's early champions could become stars of the future, but the household names such as Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Scottie Scheffler haven't been in the hunt.

Even Tiger Woods couldn't help out due to his illness at the Genesis as TV viewing figures have generally been down - and that's a problem when rivals LIV Golf has had Dustin Johnson and Joaquin Niemann winning their opening events.

And then there's Jon Rahm. The Spaniard won three of the opening seven events on the PGA Tour last year, but he's obviously now pulling in a few new viewers playing in the LIV Golf League.

Even if you still see the PGA Tour as the pinnacle of the men's game, LIV Golf has still had more star names being involved at the sharp end of the leaderboard early on in 2024 - with a limited field helping in that respect.

Having larger fields packed with quality and outsiders being able to win any given week is a huge strength for the PGA Tour, and avid golf fans love that aspect, but in terms of growing the fanbase, bringing more general sports fans in and generating more interest, they need some help from the big guns.

PGA Tour Winners 2023 vs 2024

*The 2023 Mexico Open was played in late April.

It's not just LIV Golf that the PGA Tour is battling against though, but last year's start to the season when Rahm dominated but we also saw Scheffler, Justin Rose and Max Homa pick up tournament victories.

This year we've had two Major champions win events but two of the lesser lights in terms of popularity, at least in the USA where the majority of the viewership resides, with Hideki Matsuyama and Wyndham Clark tasting success.

Only Chris Kirk has won one of these opening events in both years, with a plethora of huge betting outsiders being successful.

Nick Dunlap became the first amateur winner on the PGA Tour in over 30 years with a brilliant win at The American Express, and turned pro right away after his thrilling success.

Jake Knapp had to work as a security guard as he struggled to make it as a pro, but is now so impressive Rory McIlroy believes he could be a star.

Why does the PGA Tour need a star winner?

Knapp and Dunlap are both great stories in isolation, but added with other underdog winners and the lack of star power is not what Monahan would have wanted to start the season - just one winner inside the world's top 50 in nine events is almost unheard of.

LIV Golf players don't even get OWGR points yet the average ranking of the winners on that tour is still lower than the PGA Tour tournament champions.

It may just be a PR battle at some level, but that star power, where the best players in the world are playing their golf, is regularly put forward as part of the battle between the two factions in men's pro golf.

It's an advantage Greg Norman's outfit has so far in 2024 - and an advantage the Australian will no doubt be using to lobby the Majors for a direct route into golf's big four competitions now LIV is no longer seeking OWGR points.

The LIV Golf League moves to Hong Kong this week with again just 54 players in the field, so with stars such as an in-form Niemann and Major winners like Rahm, Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith all involved, chances are a high-profile player will be involved at the top of the standings.

The PGA Tour has a Signature Event at an iconic course in Bay Hill, and is therefore crying out for one of the stars to make a run - a Scheffler, McIlroy, Spieth, Justin Thomas or Rickie Fowler. 

One of the needle-movers, or even better two of them fighting it out down the stretch on Sunday would be a huge boost to the PGA Tour, and one it really needs right now.

Golfing stories are great, many of us love the events regardless of who wins, but bringing in new fans and grabbing the casual viewer's attention has become paramount.

And these days, crucially, answering the LIV Golf challenge in the general public's thoughts means the PGA Tour needs to see some big names battling it out at Bay Hill.