Moved from its traditional Father’s Day date into the fearsome maw of football competition, golf’s US Open hit record-lows in the ratings.
Sunday’s final round of the US Open averaged a 2.0 rating and 3.21 million viewers on NBC, easily the lowest rated and least-watched final round of the tournament on record (dates back to 1987). The previous lows were a comparably strong 3.0 and 4.63 million in 2014, NBC’s previous year carrying the event.
Ratings fell 55% and viewership 56% from last year on FOX, when the tournament took place on the West Coast and coverage bled into primetime (4.4, 7.31M). Compared to the last East Coast US Open in 2018, ratings fell 38% (from 3.2) and viewership 37% (from 5.08M).
This year’s US Open took place three months later than scheduled and the final round had to compete with a full day of NFL games.
Notably, Sunday’s telecast averaged a lower rating and fewer viewers than the final rounds of NBC’s two previous tournaments — the Tour Championship on Labor Day (2.4, 4.01M) and BMW Championship last month (2.2, 3.44M). Those telecasts did not face football competition.
Third round action averaged a 1.9 and 3.04 million, also the lowest on record. The previous lows were a 2.2 (2016 and 2017) and 3.20 million (2014). The telecast declined 32% in ratings and 27% in viewership from last year (2.8, 4.20M) and 24% and 19% respectively from 2018 (2.5, 3.77M).
The increase from Saturday’s third round to Sunday’s final round — just 5% — is the smallest on record for the tournament. Last year’s final round increased 57% in ratings and 74% in viewership over the third round.
NBC also averaged a 1.5 and 2.30 million for second round coverage on Friday (both -12%) and a 1.3 (-44%) and 1.96 million (-43%) for opening round action last Thursday. NBC’s weekday windows began in the afternoon, while last year’s comparable FOX telecasts aired mostly in primetime.
Golf Channel averaged a 0.8 and 1.26 million for daylong coverage on Friday — down a third and 28% respectively from last year (1.2, 1.74M) — and a 0.41 and 668,000 for a two-hour block on Sunday. As previously noted, the network’s Thursday window averaged a 0.59 and 841,000 (-39%).
As the NBC streaming service Peacock is not a traditional television network, comparable figures were not available for its coverage.
US Open final round ratings, viewership (2000-present)
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 9.22]
