Continuing a resurgent year for the major golf tournaments, the PGA Championship got off to its best start in five years.
First round coverage of the PGA Championship earned a 1.0 final rating and 1.4 million viewers on TNT Thursday afternoon, up 28% in ratings and 40% in viewership from last year (0.8, 1.0M) and the most-watched opening round of the tournament since 2010 (1.5M). Viewership peaked at 1.7 million from 5:45-6 PM ET.
All 13 rounds of major golf this year have had an increase in viewership, with 11 of those 13 up by double-digits. Keep in mind that last year’s majors put up historically low numbers — though the PGA Championship was an exception.
Thursday’s telecast had a 0.2 rating among adults 18-49, not even matching ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption (0.3). Compared to last year, however, viewership in the demo increased by 51%.
(Thu. numbers from Turner Sports, with additional info from ShowBuzz Daily)
