CBS drew a 5.1 overnight ratings for the final round of the PGA Championship yesterday from 2:00-7:30pm ET, which saw Jason Day capture his first major with a three-stroke win over Jordan Spieth. That figure is down 15% from last year, when the final round, delayed by weather early on Sunday, saw Rory McIlroy hold off Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler and Henrik Stenson two hours into primetime. But the 5.1 mark is still the second-best overnight for a Sunday round at the PGA Championship since ’09, when CBS drew a 7.5 for Y.E. Yang’s three-shot win over Tiger Woods. This year's finale is up 16% from a 4.4 overnight for Jason Dufner's two-stroke win in '13 and up 31% from McIlroy's eight-stroke win in '12. CBS drew a 3.2 overnight for the third round, tied with last year as the best Saturday coverage in six years (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).
A MIXED BAG: GOLFWEEK's Martin Kaufmann writes CBS did a "much better job" last week of "capturing some great on-course audio." That was "perhaps the most positive development that I saw" during the net's coverage. CBS had some "good graphics, but the network used them so sporadically that it was plain there was no coherent strategy." Meanwhile, CBS did not show a wind gauge "at a lakeside pseudo-links, where wind is one of the course's chief defenses." Kaufmann: "The wind wasn't a huge issue on the weekend, but it still was a factor" (GOLFWEEK.com, 8/17). But ESPN's Ed Werder wrote, "Thought Jim Nantz was great narrating @JDayGolf final few holes, great storytelling and context. Good job by all on @CBSSports golf team." Golfer Graeme McDowell, who missed the cut, wrote, "I like the @CBSSports coverage. Nantz is a legend. McCord/Feherty are excellent. Kostis/Finch very intelligent analysis. Not sure on Faldo" (TWITTER.com, 8/17). CBS Sports Chair Sean McManus talked with THE DAILY's John Ourand about new technology the net added to its coverage this year.
MISSED OPPORTUNITY: GOLF DIGEST's Alex Myers noted CBS on Saturday "showed one live golf shot in its first 15 minutes of coverage." It also "didn't help" that it "seemed like Herb Kohler or PGA of America executives or pre-taped packages were on the screen more than the guys actually playing" (GOLFDIGEST.com, 8/15). The Augusta Chronicle's Scott Michaux tweeted, "The official Twitter account is @GOLFonCBS It's a shame that's not their coverage slogan as well. SHOW THE FREAKIN' GOLF!" He added, "That's it. I'm turning this off. This is what I get for not covering the PGA, I guess. #GOLFnotonCBS" (TWITTER.com, 8/15). Meanwhile, in N.Y., Phil Mushnick wrote analyst Verne Lundquist, when "working golf events for CBS and TNT, refuses to play the pretend-its-live game." Thursday, when viewers were "suddenly cut to a player not previously seen, Lundquist was quick and sure to say, 'This, a moment ago,' before that player was seen hitting a great shot" (N.Y. POST, 8/16).
THE SHOW MUST GO ON: GOLF DIGEST's John Strege noted Golf Channel on Friday made a "makeshift set in the media center interview room at Whistling Straights" after the storms that ended the second round prematurely "wreaked havoc" on the network's original set. Golf Channel host Rich Lerner said, "Some of the walls came down, the roof was damaged. It was nasty." Analyst Brandel Chamblee added, "I'm happy to be in one piece. Obviously our set got demolished" (GOLFDIGEST.com, 8/15).
