NBC was not the only beneficiary of strong ratings for the U.S. Open playoff.
The first nine holes between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate drew a stellar 4.2 cable rating with 4.7 million viewers on ESPN Monday afternoon, the largest audience ever for a golf telecast on cable. These numbers are extraordinary, considering that the telecast began at Noon ET on a workday.
The previous record was set earlier this year, when second round coverage of The Masters drew a 3.1 cable rating with 3.5 million viewers, also on ESPN.
To put the 4.7 million viewers in perspective, the most viewed weekday mid-afternoon Division Series game last year drew 3.3 million viewers.
Even before the Monday playoff, ESPN had its most viewed U.S. Open in eight years.
