With Tiger Woods absent, overnight ratings hit a four-year low for the World Golf Championships at Doral.
Final round coverage of the WGC-Cadillac Championship drew a 2.6 overnight rating on NBC Sunday afternoon, down 24% from last year (3.4) and down 41% from Woods’ victory in 2013 (4.4). The 2.6 is the lowest for final round coverage of the tournament since 2011, and the third-lowest since it moved to Doral in 2007.
The 2.6 is also the third-lowest for pro golf’s annual stop at Doral (previously the PGA Tour Ford Championship) since at least 2001.
Despite the decline, the telecast tied the second-highest overnight of the weekend for any sporting event — matching the Duke/North Carolina college basketball game on ESPN and trailing only NASCAR on FOX (4.3). It topped the Clippers/Warriors NBA game on ABC by 13% head-to-head (2.3).
Third round coverage on Saturday drew a 1.7 overnight, down 26% from last year (2.3) and down 43% from 2013 (3.0).
(Wknd. numbers via Sports Business Daily)
