After a weak start to the season, the PGA Tour is surging on the back nine.
Final round coverage of the PGA Tour Western Open delivered 1.9 million viewers on NBC Sunday afternoon, up 23% from last year (1.5M), up 6% from 2015 (1.7M) and the largest audience for the tournament since 2012, when Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson finished in the top three (3.6M).
Ratings increased 25% (from 1.00 to 1.25) and also hit a multi-year high.
Sunday’s telecast was the eighth straight PGA window on broadcast television to post an increase in ratings and viewership. Of the past 21 windows that can be compared to last year, a stretch that dates back to the Hartford Open in June, 15 have posted increases in one or both measures.
Third round action on Saturday pulled a 1.1 rating (+22%) and 1.7 million viewers (+45%) to rank as the highest rated and most-watched Saturday at the tournament since 2014 (1.3, 1.9M).
Lead-in coverage on Golf Channel had 0.48 (-11%) and 741,000 (-9%) on Saturday and a 0.36 (+16%) and 527,000 (+18%) on Sunday.
[Wknd. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily 9.20]
