With the biggest names in golf in contention, British Open ratings were the highest in more than a decade.
Sunday’s final round of the British Open earned a 4.3 rating and 6.48 million viewers on NBC, up 34% in ratings and 32% in viewership from last year (3.2, 4.91M) and up 30% and 32% respectively from 2016 (3.3, 4.90M).
Francisco Molinari‘s win, which saw Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy finish in the top ten, was the highest rated round of the tournament since Woods’ last victory in 2006 (4.6) and the most-watched since his first victory in 2000 (8.56M).
The telecast peaked at a 6.0 and 9.36 million from 1:30-1:45 PM ET, marking the most-watched peak quarter-hour of the tournament since 2006 on ABC (11.1M). Including streaming viewership, it had 6.57 million.
Figures do not include two hours of early morning coverage, which delivered a 1.6 (+23%) and 2.2 million (+23%).
Excluding the Masters, Sunday’s telecast ranks second among PGA Tour windows this season. The final round of the Tampa Bay Championship in March, in which Woods was a birdie putt away from a playoff, holds the top spot (4.4, 6.9M).
Compared to the other majors, the British Open outdrew every PGA Championship since 2015 (4.4, 6.68M) and every US Open since 2013 (5.4, 8.4M).
The British Open continued a season-long trend of increases for tournaments featuring Tiger Woods. Woods has played in 22 rounds on broadcast television this season and 21 of those have posted increases. The lone exception — the final round of the Memorial — aired on tape delay due to inclement weather.
Of the 32 telecasts that have not featured Woods, 17 posted an increase in ratings and 20 did so in viewership.
[Numbers from NBC Sports]
