As Tiger Woods struggles, so does the PGA Tour.
Sunday’s final round of the Bridgestone Invitational, in which Woods had the worst 72-hole performance of his career, drew a 2.3 overnight rating on CBS Sunday — down 51% from last year, when he won (4.7), even with 2008, when he did not play (2.3) and down 34% from 2007, when he won (3.5).
The 2.3 overnight is tied as the lowest for final round coverage of the tournament since it began in its current format in 1999. This marks only the second time the final round has drawn less than a 3.0 overnight.
As recently as 2006, final round coverage drew a comparably massive 6.2, behind only 2001 (7.1) as the highest overnight for the event. Woods won the event in both of those years, as well as 2005 (5.2), 2000 (5.3) and 1999 (5.5).
Even with the significant decline, the 2.3 overnight for final round coverage is the highest for any non-major PGA telecast since the final round of The Memorial in June (3.2).
Third round action on Saturday drew a 1.6 overnight, down 33% from last year (2.4), down a tick from 2008 (1.7) and down 41% from 2007 (2.7).
