Woods yesterday held the solo lead through 10 holes before eventually tying for sixthGETTY IMAGES
Tiger Woods' presence on a star-studded leaderboard yesterday at the Open Championship helped NBC garner a 5.0 overnight rating, tied for the highest final round of the event since '00, when Woods' win at St. Andrews drew a 7.4 rating on ABC. Yesterday's rating for Francesco Molinari's two-shot win (9:00am-2:00pm ET) is tied with '06, when Woods' victory at Royal Liverpool also drew a 5.0 on ABC. Woods held the solo lead yesterday through 10 holes before eventually tying for sixth, sending NBC to a 39% year-over-year increase from Jordan Spieth's win last year (3.6 overnight). Two years ago, NBC drew a 3.9 overnight for Henrik Stenson's win over Phil Mickelson. Coverage yesterday peaked at a 6.7 rating from 1:00-1:30pm, marking the second-highest peak half-hour in golf this year (10.7 at The Masters). The final round also saw 33.9 million minutes streamed, up 67% over last year (Josh Carpenter, Assistant Editor).
ON THE UP & UP: Golf Channel's coverage on Saturday posted a total audience delivery (TAD) of 3.77 million viewers from 9:00am-3:00pm, up 21% over '17. The TAD number marked the most-watched third round coverage of the event since '13 (3.78 million). TV-only viewership for Saturday (3.72 million) was also up 21% from last year and peaked with 4.3 million viewers from noon-12:15pm. Friday coverage drew 1.14 million viewers on Golf Channel from 8:00am-3:58pm, up 4% from last year and marking the most-watched early round telecast of the event since it moved to the cable net in ’16. Friday also marked Golf Channel’s most-watched weekday telecast since the ’16 Ryder Cup drew 1.3 million viewers. Finally, first round coverage of The Open posted a TAD of 1.02 million viewers, up 27% from '17 and the most-watched first round at The Open in its three years on GC. It also became Golf Channel's most-watched Thursday ever (Carpenter).
NOT A ONE-MAN SHOW: The MORNING READ's John Hawkins wrote a "big difference in the telecasts" on NBC from Carnoustie has been the "auxiliary stuff: a medley of outstanding mini-features in addition to the offbeat segments showcasing the one and only David Feherty." Hawkins: "These televignettes are nothing new, but CBS really doesn’t do them, and the collection that NBC aired this week is the strongest I can remember." Jimmy Roberts’ profile of former PGA Tour player Jack Newton, who took Tom Watson to the wire at the '75 Open at Carnoustie, "was exemplary." Mike Tirico’s sit-down with Curtis Strange to review Jean van de Velde’s 72nd-hole collapse in '99 (both worked the event for ABC) "offered a slightly different approach to a story that has gotten a ton of attention in recent weeks." Lead analyst Johnny Miller’s role "continues to diminish," as Feherty has become the "star of the show." Feherty's transfer from CBS to NBC in '16 "clearly has affected both networks." NBC’s telecasts are "lighter and more likable, whereas CBS’ old-school method is starting to look and sound a bit dated." Feherty is a "difference maker, and NBC’s golf coverage is better than ever" (MORNINGREAD.com, 7/22). Meanwhile, Hawkins noted Miller yesterday "nailed the bull's-eye" with Woods in a fairway bunker on No. 10 and a one-shot lead. He said, “This is the biggest shot he’s had in a while." Also, when the third-round leaders began moving backwards and Woods "embarked on his surge," analyst Gary Koch "carried the telecast for an extended stretch." Koch "never exaggerates the importance of a situation, and he knows the nuances of a golf swing as well, if not better, than most teaching pros" (MORNINGREAD.com, 7/23).
DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER: In Jacksonville, Sam Kouvaris wrote Golf Channel's David Duval is the "best analyst on television." Kouvaris: "Not just the best golf analyst, the best analyst, period." Duval is "fearless as a broadcaster." He is "prepared, has an opinion, and if you disagree with him, it’s OK." He was "good almost immediately on television." It was "easy to see he was going to succeed." At some point Duval is going to "move off the Golf Channel and into Johnny Miller’s chair as the lead analyst on NBC’s coverage of golf" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 7/21).
