Tiger Woods‘ presence lifted coverage of the Masters Par 3 Contest on ESPN.
ESPN earned a 0.8 final rating and 1.1 million viewers for coverage of the Masters Par 3 Contest Wednesday afternoon, up 60% in ratings and 98% from last year (0.5, 548K), up 33% and 32%, respectively, from 2013 (0.6, 821K), and the largest audience of the event since it was first televised in 2008.
The previous mark was 1.0 million for coverage in 2010, Woods’ first Masters since his marital infidelity scandal the previous fall. Woods did not actually play the Par 3 Contest that year, but the controversy fueled unusually high interest in the tournament.
This year marked Woods’ first appearance in the contest since 2004, and his first appearance on a golf course overall since his self-imposed sabbatical from the game earlier this year — no doubt the driving force behind the record audience.
The 0.8 rating is tied as the highest ever for the Par 3 Contest, matching 2008 and 2010.
(Wed. numbers from ESPN)
