A move away from the NFL paid off for the Tour Championship, even if ratings could not match Tiger Woods‘ record-setting win last year.
Sunday’s final round of the Tour Championship, the final event of the PGA Tour FedEx Cup, averaged a 2.5 rating and 3.71 million viewers on NBC — down 32% in ratings and 37% in viewership from Woods’ win last year (3.7, 5.89M), but up 79% and 76% respectively from 2017 (1.4, 2.10M).
Rory McIlroy‘s win trails only last year as the highest rated and most-watched round of the tournament since Woods’ 2009 win (3.0, 4.55M).
Excluding majors, it delivered the highest PGA Tour rating and viewership since the final round of the Players Championship in March (2.8, 4.19M). Looking just at the primary 3-6 PM ET window, its averages of 2.9 and 4.37 million were the highest of any non-major this season.
This year marked the first time the Tour Championship has taken place in the month of August. From 2007-18, it was held in September, with the final round airing on an NFL Sunday. This year’s final round, which faced no NFL competition, increased 30% over the 2007-18 average (2.84M).
Avoiding the NFL also benefited the previous week’s BMW Championship, which posted its highest rating and viewership since 2012.
Streaming provided a minuscule lift, boosting the average audience from 3.71 to 3.72 million.
Rainout coverage the previous day averaged a 1.2 and 1.70 million, trailing only last year as the highest for Saturday coverage of the event since 2014 (1.5, 2.1M). The tournament had to contend with college football competition in previous years.
Lead-in coverage on Golf Channel averaged a 0.5 (-16%) and 754,000 (-17%) on Saturday and a 0.7 (+29%) and 1.08 million (+32%) on Sunday. Coverage of the rescheduled third round averaged a 0.37 and 524,000 on Golf Channel early Sunday morning.
[Nielsen estimates via ShowBuzz Daily 8.27]
