By Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor

The PGA Tour averaged a 2.1 rating for 57 weekend telecasts across CBS and NBC this season, excluding all majors and the RBC Canadian Open, which suffered long rain delays and finished on a Monday. The '09 rating is up 23.5% from a 1.7 for 60 telecasts in '08 when Tiger Woods played in only four non-major PGA Tour tournaments due to injury, but even with the rating from 59 telecast windows in '07 (Verizon Heritage final round suspended due to weather). NBC averaged a 2.4 rating for its 20 weekend telecasts, up 26.3% from a 1.9 rating in '08 (22 windows) and even with '07 (22 windows). CBS averaged a 1.9 rating for 37 telecasts, up 18.8% from last year (38 windows), but down slightly from a 2.0 rating in '07 (37 windows).

THE TIGER EFFECT: Woods' return this season buoyed the events in which he played, with those weekend telecasts averaging a 2.7 rating (26 telecasts). Woods' four non-major weekend telecasts last year averaged a 2.9 rating before his surgery following the U.S. Open. In '07, Woods' events also averaged a 2.7 for 22 weekend telecasts. This year's highest-rated non-major golf telecast was the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which Woods won. The tournament averaged a 3.6 during its weekend telecasts on NBC. The AT&T National and WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, both of which Woods won, were the second- and third-highest rated non-major weekends. The Verizon Heritage was the PGA Tour's lowest-rated weekend this season, averaging a 0.9 rating, and was the only event not impacted by weather to average below a 1.0 rating. Meanwhile, the four FedExCup playoff events averaged a 2.4 rating, with Woods playing in all of the events for the first time. The playoffs were up 84.6% from last year, when Woods did not play in any events and The Barclays aired up agains the Beijing Olympics. Compared to first iteration of the playoffs in '07, the 2.4 rating is down 11.1%.

NOTES: (a) = Final round cancelled due to rain. (b) = Formerly the PODS Championship. (c) = Aired on NBC in '08, and that tournament had a rain delay to end the third round on Saturday. End of third round and final round played on Sunday. (d) = Previously the Wachovia Championship. (e) = Tournament previously played in October as part of Fall Series. Aired on Golf Channel. Tournament replaced AT&T Classic in regular schedule. (f) = Previously the EDS Byron Nelson Championship. (g) = Previously title sponsored by Stanford Financial. (h) = Ratings listed are for rainout coverage. (i) = Tournament aired in late June last year. (j) = final round annually played on Monday of Labor Day Weekend.