One year after Tiger Woods sent the tournament to all-time highs, ratings for the PGA Tour’s Tampa Bay Championship fell back to earth.
Last Sunday’s final round of the PGA Tour at Tampa Bay delivered a 1.6 rating and 2.39 million viewers on NBC, down 64% in ratings and 65% in viewership from last year, when Tiger Woods finished second (4.4, 6.91M), but up a tick and 4% respectively from 2017 (1.5, 2.29M).
Woods did not play the tournament this year.
Paul Casey‘s win topped only 2017 and 2014 (1.5, 2.30M) as the lowest rated and least-watched final round of the tournament since 2011 (1.4, 1.95M).
In addition to Woods’ absence, the tournament also had to contend with breaking political news and competition from the NCAA Tournament. This year marked the first time since 2012 that event aired opposite the NCAA Tournament.
Third round action last Saturday pulled a 1.0 and 1.44 million, down 64% in ratings and 67% in viewership from last year (2.8, 4.31M) and down a tick and 13% respectively from 2017 (1.1, 1.65M). It was the least-watched round of the tournament on broadcast television since 2011 (1.37M).
Lead-in coverage on Golf Channel had a 0.34 (-65%) and 478,000 (-66%) on Saturday and a 0.47 (-69%) and 703,000 (-70%) on Sunday.
[Numbers from Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily 3.27]
