CBS yesterday drew a 3.9 overnight rating for Sunday coverage of the PGA Championship, marking the lowest figure for the event's final round since '12, when Rory McIlroy won by eight shots and the telecast aired up against the London Games. This year's tourney was moved up a few weeks to allow for the return of golf in the Olympics. Jimmy Walker took home his first major win with a one-stroke victory over Jason Day, but inclement weather earlier in the tournament hurt any momentum headed into the final round. Yesterday's coverage finished strong, averaging a 6.5 rating from 7:00-7:30pm ET as Walker held off Day. The 3.9 rating is down 24% from last year's 5.1, when Day beat Jordan Spieth by three strokes. The final round in '14, which was delayed by rain for a couple of hours and ran well into primetime, drew a 6.0 overnight for Rory McIlroy's win over Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler and Henrik Stenson. The high mark over the last decade for the PGA Championship final round is Y.E. Yang's three-stroke win over Tiger Woods in '09 (7.5), while the low mark was Padraig Harrington's two-stroke win in '08 (3.0) over Sergio Garcia and Ben Curtis -- which also aired up against the Beijing Games (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).
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PGA CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL ROUND OVERNIGHT RATINGS TREND ON CBS
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YEAR
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RATING
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WINNER (STROKES)
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TOP FINISHER(S)
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TIGER
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'16
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3.9
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Jimmy Walker (1)
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Jason Day
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DNP
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'15
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5.1
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Jason Day (3)
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Jordan Spieth
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Cut
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'14
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6.0
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Rory McIlroy (1)
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Phil Mickelson
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Cut
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'13
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4.4
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Jason Dufner (2)
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Jim Furyk
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T40
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'12
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3.9
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Rory McIlroy (8)
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David Lynn
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T11
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'11
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4.3
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Keegan Bradley (playoff)
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Jason Dufner
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Cut
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'10
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5.0
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Martin Kaymer (playoff)
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Bubba Watson
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T28
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'09
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7.5
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Y.E. Yang (3)
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Tiger Woods
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2
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'08
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3.0
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Padraig Harrington (2)
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Sergio Garcia, Ben Curtis
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DNP
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'07
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6.8
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Tiger Woods (2)
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Woody Austin
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1
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KEEPING PACE: In Tampa, Tom Jones notes the leaders yesterday were forced to play 36 holes, but the TV coverage "never dragged." CBS "tightened it up over the weekend and gave viewers a broadcast worthy of the compelling tournament." The "best part" of the net's coverage is on-course reporter Dottie Pepper, who "remains as good of an analyst as there is in sports broadcasting." CBS also "got superb work" from Nick Faldo and Gary McCord, who "dropped his standup shtick and stuck to golf" (
TAMPA BAY TIMES, 8/1). GOLFWEEK's Martin Kaufmann noted CBS "offered its own spin on an innovation" first seen from Fox Sports at the U.S. Open -- the "use of the ball tracer superimposed on a hole graphic, next to a live shot of the player on the tee." This has been "one of the best innovations of the year." CBS’ twist was to "show the tracer from the fairway looking back at the tee, rather than vice versa." The way the "creative process typically works" is that someone "does something innovative, and others come along and put their own spin on it" (
GOLFWEEK.com, 7/31).
TNT, NOT SO DYNAMITE: In N.Y., Phil Mushnick noted during Friday's coverage across TNT, when it was "time to watch the golf, we saw and heard commentators ... talking about the golf." Mushnick: "We saw players on the practice range. ... We saw a post-round interview with new co-leader Martin Kaymer." CBS and TNT "for weeks had urged us to watch," but viewers were "too often prevented from watching" (N.Y. POST, 7/31). GOLFWEEK's Kaufmann wrote TNT in the future should "make far better use" of anchor Brian Anderson, as he is "really easy to listen to." Meanwhile, one of the "pleasant surprises" on TNT’s coverage was interviewer Amanda Balionis. Her questions "typically were concise and pertinent to the player with whom she was speaking," and she "didn’t sound scripted." Mike Weir also handled "himself well as an on-course reporter for TNT during the first, second and fourth rounds." He "got a little chatty when he was in the 18th tower on Saturday ... but he seemed comfortable and informative tracking players on the course" (GOLFWEEK.com, 7/31).
BEEM ME UP: The AP's Samantha Pell noted Rich Beem, who won the PGA in '02 and now works full-time for Sky Sports, made the cut "for the first time" since '12. Beem has "played only one tournament -- the PGA Championship -- in each of the last two years." After his early round on Saturday, Beem was "off to his full-time job to follow the leaders in the afternoon" (AP, 7/30).
