The biggest draw in all of sports lured viewers away from the NCAA Tournament.
The final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, featuring a comeback win by Tiger Woods, drew a stellar 4.9/10 overnight rating on NBC Sunday, up 17% from a 4.2 last year, and the highest overnight rating for any PGA Tour event since last year’s U.S. Open.
When one excludes majors, the 4.9 overnight is the best for a PGA Tour event since the final round of the Buick Invitational drew a 5.3 in 2007.
Ratings peaked at a 7.8/13 from 7:30-8 PM Sunday night. From 7-8 PM, NBC finished second in total viewers, behind only CBS, which was fueled by the end of college basketball coverage and the start of 60 Minutes.
The 17% increase in ratings is especially impressive when one considers that last year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational did not air opposite the NCAA Tournament. Thanks in part to viewers flocking to Woods’ victory, overnight ratings declined for Sunday evening’s North Carolina/Oklahoma game on CBS.
Highest overnight ratings for PGA Tour events since ’07.
| Date | Time | Event | Round | Net | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun., 1/28/07 | 3:00 PM | Buick Invitational | Final | CBS | |
| Sun., 3/29/09 | 2:00 PM | Arnold Palmer Invitational | Final | NBC | |
| Sun., 1/27/08 | 3:00 PM | Buick Invitational | Final | CBS | |
| Sun., 3/16/08 | 2:30 PM | Arnold Palmer Invitational | Final | NBC | |
| Mon., 9/3/07 | 2:00 PM | Deutsche Bank Championship | Final | NBC |
