With Tiger Woods out of contention, the final round of the PGA Championship lost over one-third of its audience from last year.
Final round coverage of the season’s final major drew a 4.3 final rating and 6.511 million viewers on CBS Sunday, down 35% in both ratings and viewership from last year (6.6, 10.079 mil), up 54% and 62%, respectively, from 2008 (2.8, 4.020 mil) and down 31% and 29%, respectively, from 2007 (6.2, 9.165 mil).
Woods came in second last year, did not play in 2008 and won in 2007.
This marks the second-lowest rating for the final round of the PGA Championship since 1996. Only the aforementioned 2008 tournament drew a lower final round rating.
Compared to other sporting events this summer, Sunday’s telecast was not only outdrawn by events such as the NBA Finals and MLB All-Star Game, but also by unheralded events such as the NFL Hall of Fame Game (6.8, 11.438 mil) and the deciding game of June’s Stanley Cup Final (4.7, 8.279 mil).
Saturday’s third round action drew a 2.8 final rating and 4.085 million viewers, down 35% in ratings and 34% in viewership from last year (4.3, 6.193 mil) and down 33% and 31%, respectively, from 2007 (4.2, 5.947 mil).
Third round coverage in 2008 was rained out, drawing a 0.9 and 1.327 million viewers on CBS.
Ratings For Third and Final Round Coverage of the PGA Championship Dating Back To 1982
(Sports Business Daily 08/20/2010, 01/17/2002)
