Eye Of The Tiger

Immelman's Masters Win Sees Slight Ratings Drop

Conventional wisdom has long been that Tiger Woods in contention on Sundays equals ratings, but it is becoming clearer that Woods needs to win for networks to see a payoff. Trevor Immelman’s breakthrough victory at The Masters this weekend sees CBS earn a 8.9/18 overnight Nielsen for Sunday’s final round, down slightly from Zach Johnson’s surprise win last year. While Tiger finishes second, as he did in ’07, he fails to produce the late-round charge the net certainly was hoping for. With Woods never really in contention, as well as a general lack of drama coming down the stretch, CBS could not capitalize on Saturday’s ratings, which were the best third-round marks in five years. Meanwhile, ESPN’s debut broadcast from Magnolia Lane delivered on Augusta National Chair Billy Payne’s desire to open up the tournament to a wider fan base, as the net’s Friday coverage sets a record for a golf broadcast on cable, with more than 3 million HHs tuning in.