Ratings and viewership hit a four-year high for Tiger Woods’ unexpected return to golf at The Masters.
Thursday’s opening round of the Masters golf tournament averaged a 1.8 rating and 2.82 million viewers on ESPN, marking the highest rated and most-watched opening round of the event since 2018 (2.0, 2.97M) and the second-largest since 2015 (3.22M). Ratings increased 20% and viewership 21% from last year (1.5, 2.33M).
The Masters marks Woods’ first competitive golf event since a car accident in February of last year that left his career in doubt. Given the number of questions surrounding whether Woods could ever play competitive golf again, his playing the Masters just 14 months after the crash would have seemed a remote possibility even just weeks ago — much less making the cut, as he did on Friday.
This is not the first time that Woods has ended a hiatus at the Masters. The aforementioned 2018 tournament marked his first appearance at Augusta National in three years and, not coincidentally, opened at a three-year high. The 2015 Masters was his first in two years and opened at a five-year high. The 2010 Masters marked his return from the most infamous hiatus of his career, the marital infidelity scandal that altered his public perception. The tabloid fervor that surrounded him at that time contributed to a whopping opening round audience of 4.94 million, still the largest ever for any golf telecast on cable.
Keep in mind the main ESPN window began toward the end of Woods’ round. Viewership peaked at 3.6 million from 4:15-4:29 PM ET, as Woods’ round concluded. ESPN’s SportsCenter, which featured cut-ins of Woods’ round prior to the start of the main telecast, averaged 801,000 viewers from 10 AM-3 PM ET — up 149% from last year.
ESPN+, which included Woods’ round as part of its Featured Groups coverage, had its most-watched day of golf on record.
[Nielsen estimates from ESPN]
