With Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and some other of golf’s most popular stars in competition during the telecast, ESPN’s live coverage of the third round of the PGA Championship on Saturday, August 8, averaged 2,028,000 viewers, a 71 percent increase over TNT’s third round coverage in 2019.
The telecast, which aired from 1-4 p.m. ET from TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, was the most-viewed PGA Championship third round on cable since 2005 and ranks as cable’s fourth most-viewed on record. Gains were even greater among young adults (ages 18-49) with the viewership average of 532,000 up 101 percent in that demographic over last year.
During the three-hour telecast, the audience peaked at 2,359,000 viewers between 3:15 – 3:30 p.m. and viewership did not drop below 2 million at any time between 2-4 p.m.
With another strong day of viewership, ESPN’s PGA Championship coverage through three rounds is averaging 1,603,000 viewers and 382,000 in the Persons 18-49 category, up 30 percent and 49 percent, respectively, over last year, making it the most-viewed three rounds since 2010 and the second most-viewed in 10 years.
Since the PGA Tour returned with the Colonial, the ratings have been up. Golf was the first professional sport to return to television, but even when MLB and NBA play returned, the viewership for golf did not slow.
Part of the jump for the PGA could be tied in with the tournament being shown in prime time on the East Coast, but the increase is still a big thing for the networks, especially ESPN that just started an 11-year deal to partner in to televise the PGA Championship.
The numbers also made a big leap for CBS that had the prime-time slots for Saturday and Sunday. The weekend before the PGA, the WGC St. Jude Invitational in Memphis was up 40 percent from last year.
It will be interesting to see how golf will fare if the NFL returns. With college football disappearing every day, it should continue to bode well for golf. People that play golf are used to having no fans on the course and getting a chance to watch the best players in the world in similar conditions is something everyone can relate to.
It is also gives viewers a chance to be more intimate with the players as evidenced by the language that followed bad shots during the PGA. Some may have been offended, but personally I enjoyed seeing the players be real, as opposed to workman-like machines we see when you can’t hear their thoughts.
You also are privy to discussions between the caddie and their player before hitting a shot.
I am eager for the day when fans are back on the course – and the media is back as well. I missed not being at the PGA last week as only select media were allowed, but at the same time, I am going to enjoy the golf telecasts right now.
By Dennis Miller