Tiger Woods‘ return to golf boosted the Masters to its highest overnight since his last such return in 2010.
First round coverage of The Masters earned a 2.4 overnight rating on ESPN Thursday afternoon, up 60% from last year (1.5) and up 14% from 2013 (2.1), according to Sports Business Daily. The 2.4 is the highest for the opening round of the event since 2010 (3.6).
Thursday marked Woods’ return to competitive golf after a nine-week hiatus. The 2010 telecast took place under similar circumstances, as Woods had not played in four months due to his marital infidelity scandal.
The five-year high in overnights came one day after the Masters Par 3 Contest earned its largest audience ever (dates back to 2008).
(Thu. overnight from Sports Business Daily)
