With Tiger Woods taking the week off, it was Phil Mickelson‘s turn to boost PGA TV ratings.
Final round coverage of the PGA-WGC Mexico Championship had a 2.6 rating and 3.9 million viewers on NBC last Sunday, up 18% in ratings and 14% in viewership from last year (2.2, 3.5M). Compared to 2016, when the tournament still took place in Doral, ratings were flat and viewership slipped 2% from 4.0 million.
Mickelson’s win, his first since 2013, marked the fourth PGA telecast this season with at least a 2.5 rating and 3.9 million viewers — compared to just one such telecast all of last season (excluding majors).
Of the 12 PGA windows on broadcast television this season, it was the seventh to post a double-digit increase in ratings and viewership.
For the weekend, the telecast trailed only NASCAR Cup Series racing on FOX (2.9, 4.7M) as the highest rated and most-watched sporting event. As one would expect given golf’s older skew, it ranked just seventh in adults 18-49 — its 0.55 rating in the demo trailing NASCAR, three college basketball games and two NBA games.
Third round action last Saturday had a 1.4 and 2.1 million, actually down 13% in ratings and 15% in viewership from last year (1.6, 2.5M) and down 22% and 17% respectively from Doral in 2016 (1.8, 2.5M).
Lead-in coverage on Golf Channel had a 0.47 (-15%) and 687,000 (-16%) on Saturday and a 0.6 (-9%) and 950,000 on Sunday (-16%).
[Wknd. numbers via Sports Business Daily 3.9, ShowBuzz Daily 3.6]
