US Open ratings were a mixed bag, with the tournament up across-the-board to a three-year high, but Sunday’s final round in record-low territory.
Sunday’s final round of the U.S. Open earned a 3.2 rating and 5.083 million viewers on FOX, up a tick in ratings and 0.2% in viewership from last year (3.1, 5.075M) but down 6% and 0.4% respectively from 2016 (3.4, 5.103M).
Brooks Koepka‘s win peaked with 9.1 million viewers from 6:15-6:30 PM ET, up 10% from last year’s peak (8.3M).
In both ratings and viewership, this year’s final round was the third-lowest on record (dates back to 1988). It exceeds only last year and 2014 on NBC (3.0, 4.6M).
The past five years have produced the five lowest final round ratings on record. Until 2014, the record-low was a 4.5 rating. Since, ratings have not exceeded a 4.2.
For the season, the U.S. Open not only trails the third and final rounds of the Masters, but also ranks behind the final rounds at Tampa Bay (4.4, 6.9M) and the Players Championship (3.6, 5.8M). Those tournaments featured Tiger Woods in contention.
Woods failed to make the cut this week, as did a slew of other stars — Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and Rory McIlroy among them. Phil Mickelson did make the cut, but his only relevant moment all weekend was a J.R. Smith-esque gaffe.
Given the lack of stars and the potent World Cup competition — 11.7 million viewers for Mexico-Germany and 8.4 million for Brazil-Switzerland — FOX can be pleased to have avoided a new record-low.
An additional 36,000 viewers streamed the final round on Fox Sports GO, the platform’s second-largest golf audience behind Thursday’s first round (49K).
On Saturday, third round coverage had a 2.5 rating and 3.8 million viewers — up 14% in ratings and viewership from last year (2.2, 3.3M), up 14% and 13% respectively from 2016 (2.2, 3.3M) and the best third round performance since 2015 (2.8, 4.2M).
Overall, it was the second-best third round of the U.S. Open since 2013 (3.7, 5.4M).
The complete 2018 U.S. Open averaged 2.85 million viewers across FOX and FS1, up 6% from last year (2.67M) and up 22% from 2016 (2.34M). It was the most-watched U.S. Open since 2015, which marked Tiger Woods’ previous appearance in the event and the last time it took place on the West Coast, allowing for primetime coverage in the East (3.5M).
It was the second-most watched U.S. Open since 2013 (3.9M). All four days of coverage increased over last year.
[Numbers from Fox Sports, Fox Sports PR 6.19]
