CBS led all weekend sports telecasts with a 5.1 overnight Nielsen rating for the final round of the PGA Tour AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am yesterday, which saw Phil Mickelson come from behind to win the event while paired with Tiger Woods. That figure marks the best final round overnight for the event in 15 years, dating back to a 5.8 rating in ’97, when Mark O’Meara held off Woods and David Duval for the win. Last year’s final round earned a 2.6 overnight for D.A. Points’ victory. Mickelson finished tied for ninth last year. Woods, who was making his ’12 PGA Tour season debut, was playing the event for the first time in 10 years. He finished T15 after entering the final round T3. Sunday’s telecast peaked at a 5.7 overnight during the 5:30-600pm ET window. Third round coverage on Saturday also earned a 2.8 overnight, up 56% from last year. By comparison, final round coverage of both the Waste Management Open and the Farmers Insurance Open -- the other two tournaments to air on CBS this year -- each earned a 2.0 overnight rating (Austin Karp, THE DAILY). Golf.com Deputy Editor David Dusek said, “When you put Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods in the penultimate pairing on Pebble Beach, you are tuning into something special. … I am sure it was a monster rating for CBS.” Yahoo Sports Radio's Tim Brando said, "The PGA Tour got a real shot in the arm by the performance of Phil Mickelson and the fact that Tiger and Phil were together mano a mano in the next to last pairing” (“The Tim Brando Show,” Yahoo Sports Radio, 2/13). ESPN’s Mike Golic said, "It’s got to be a ratings bonanza for TV” ("Mike & Mike in the Morning," ESPN Radio, 2/13).
FAR TOO REVERENTIAL: In Tampa Bay, Tom Jones asks whether CBS' Jim Nantz could have "gushed any more about the Pebble Beach course over the weekend" during the net's coverage of Pebble Beach. Jones: "I just wanted to watch some golf, and I felt like Nantz was trying to sell me property. CBS's golf coverage is only a few weeks old and I'm already yearning for NBC. The lone bright spot is main analyst Nick Faldo, who mixes in a nice blend of analysis and humor." Jones writes if fans "watched CBS's coverage from Pebble Beach, you could tell how badly it wanted Tiger Woods to be in contention. ... You can't blame CBS for wanting to see Woods make a run. Still, the announcers have a little more enthusiasm in their voices when Woods sinks a long putt or chips in from the sand" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 2/13).
