Last week’s Accenture Match Play Championship provided perhaps the best example of the effect Tiger Woods has on ratings for televised golf.
The event was Woods’ first since his injury last June, and his return provided a significant amount of hype. The Golf Channel drew 1.7 million viewers for first round coverage of the Accenture Match Play Championship on Wednesday, February 26, up significantly from the previous year and the most viewed first round of any event ever on the network. Viewership rose even higher for second round coverage the next day, as 1.8 million viewers tuned in to watch Woods be eliminated by Tim Clark.
The 1.8 million viewers for Thursday coverage was the second-largest audience ever for a PGA event on The Golf Channel.
But many viewers tuned out once Woods was eliminated. Friday’s third-round coverage on The Golf Channel drew a mere 776,000 viewers, down 56% from coverage the previous day.
NBC also felt the pain of Woods’ absence. Saturday coverage of the event drew a 1.4/3 final rating, down 50% from a 2.8/7 last year, and coverage of the finals on Sunday drew a mere 1.9/4, off 37% from last year’s 3.0/7.
