PGA Tour ratings have been strong this season, but last weekend was an exception.
Last Sunday’s final round of the PGA Tour Byron Nelson Championship earned a 1.5 rating and 2.27 million viewers on CBS, down 25% in ratings and 23% in viewership from last year (2.0, 2.9M) and down 35% and 34% respectively from 2016 (2.3, 3.4M).
Due to a lengthy rain delay — final round coverage did not begin until CBS came on air at 3 PM ET — play concluded on Golf Channel. The network’s overflow coverage had a 0.40 and 565,000.*
Aaron Wise‘s win, in which Jordan Spieth finished tied for sixth, ranks as the least-watched final round of the tournament since 2014 (2.19M).
The multi-year low is a sharp deviation from the season-long trend. Sunday’s round was just the eighth of 32 on broadcast television this season to decline, and the fifth to hit a multi-year low.
For the season, it ranks only ahead of the New Orleans Classic in April (1.0, 1.5M) as the lowest rated and least-watched final round on broadcast.
Third round action last Saturday had a 1.2 (+6%) and 1.8 million (+11%).
Lead-in coverage on Golf Channel had a 0.40 and 593,000 on Saturday. Sunday’s rainout coverage had a 0.28 and 409,000.
* Does not include a 34-minute stretch in which Golf Channel split between the PGA and an LPGA Tour tournament. The network had a 0.40 and 589,000 during that window.
[Numbers from Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily 5.22]
