CBS Draws Best PGA Championship Sunday Overnight Rating Since '09

Koepka's win means he has claimed three of the last seven major tournamentsGETTY IMAGES

CBS earned its best overnight rating for the final round of the PGA Championship in a decade, as Tiger Woods was in serious contention for the first time since ’09. CBS yesterday earned a 6.1 overnight as Brooks Koepka won by two strokes over Woods. That is the event’s best Sunday figure since Y.E. Yang held off Woods in ’09 (7.5 overnight). This year’s final round also edged out Rory McIlroy’s one-stroke win over Phil Mickelson in ’14 (6.0). Woods did not make the cut that year. The 6.1 overnight is up 69% from a 3.6 last year, when Justin Thomas won by two strokes over Francesco Molinari, Patrick Reed and Louis Oosthuizen (Woods did not play). Last year’s rating for the PGA Championship were hindered by spikes on cable news outlets, as there was coverage of a Neo-Nazi march in Charlottesville, Va. Host market St. Louis led the way yesterday with an 11.5 local rating, followed by F.t Myers-Naples (11.2) and K.C. (10.4). Leading into CBS coverage yesterday, TNT from 11:00am-2:00pm ET drew a 1.5 overnight for the PGA Championship, marking the net’s best figure since ’15 and up 36% from last year. Meanwhile, CBS on Saturday drew a 3.7 overnight, marking the event’s best third-round figure since ’09. Heading into the final round, the PGA Championship had already set all-time records for live video starts and time spent viewing on its digital platforms, which are managed by Turner Sports (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).

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CROUCHING TIGER: THE ATHLETIC's Richard Deitsch writes by virtue of his "on-course greatness and self-inflicted drama, Woods alone is a story." Then there is the "story of the tournament that Woods has entered." On Sunday, those "two storylines merged." CBS Sports Coordinating Producer Lance Barrow said, "You knew the participants -- you had Brooks Koepka, Adam Scott and Tiger Woods. You could not let any of the three get in the way of each other. It was an unbelievable story what Tiger was trying to do but also an unbelievable story of Koepka trying to win a PGA Championship and U.S. Open in the same year. ... You just wanted to make sure you covered all the shots, and make sure you were covering it live. ... Tiger is always a big part of the story, but you can’t let him get in the way of other people and other players. You try to cover everyone." Barrow said that he did "not think his broadcast missed anything significant given all the attention they focused on Woods." Barrow: "I know we were there at every shot that Koepka hit to the last little putt that he knocked in." He added, "When you are in the truck, you are not thinking, ‘Am I showing too much of Tiger or not enough of Koepka or too much of Koepka and not enough of Adam Scott?’ You are just trying to tell a story and you hope you make the right decisions" (THEATHLETIC.com, 8/13).

TALKING TECH: GOLFWEEK's Martin Kaufmann wrote the Hawkeye virtual putting line that was used for five holes is "terrific." CBS Sports Chair Sean McManus said that there has been "more Toptracer technology at regular Tour events, and the same could be true of the putting line in the future." McManus: "We'll figure out a way to get it sponsored or come up with some new funds for it." CBS also introduced 4D Replay on the 15th tee, and it "provided a better perspective on players' swings than the static slow-motion camera that CBS has used for more than a decade." Kaufmann: "I found myself rewinding the coverage to get a second look at some of the swings." Meanwhile, a "bigger concern" is "all of CBS sponsored elements" -- the Maximum Efficiency promotion for ExxonMobil; the Citi Player Profile; the Brighthouse Financial Shot of the Day; and Peter Kostis’ "slow-motion swing camera." That is a "lot of noise that adds little or nothing to the viewing experience." Kaufmann: "In a perfect world, I’d rather see those sponsorship dollars consolidated around fewer, more effective elements" (GOLFWEEK.com, 8/12). 

STARTING SLOW: GOLF DIGEST's Alex Myers noted TNT on Friday "finally came on the air" at 2:00pm ET. Fans following the action "at least expected an immediate update on Charl Schwartzel, who was also flirting with a 62." Instead, he "wasn't shown for about 10 minutes after the usual opening filler and a few live shots." At one point, TNT "came back from a break, showed Tiger and Rory McIlroy's tee shots on the par-3 third hole (and playing partner Justin Thomas' shot on tape) and then went right back to commercials." That is "not ideal, especially for those looking forward to watching this all day." Meanwhile, there were also tech issues that were "very apparent with the connection cutting out a couple times" (GOLFDIGEST.com, 8/10). Myers tweeted, "If someone shoots a 62 in forest and no one outside of the forest can see it, does it count? #PGAChamp #ThisIsMajor #WTF." SB Nation's Brendan Porath tweeted of TNT's coverage: "Kisner might shoot 60 at a major and you won’t see a shot of it. But you can see every single shot and and practice swing of T130th Bubba Watson." Golf Digest's Joel Beall: "Koepka, Kisner, Charl Schwartzel are chasing major championship records. And if you're not at Bellerive, you won't see a single shot. But at least you're getting to watch Bubba Watson try to break 80."

FIGHT FOR THE RIGHT: SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL's John Lombardo notes the PGA of America and CBS are "in talks for a new TV rights deal for the PGA Championship." PGA of America Chief Commercial Officer Jeff Price said that CBS, which has broadcast the major since '91, has an "exclusive negotiating window that runs through the fall." Price and other PGA execs "spent part of the week at Bellerive Country Club discussing a potential new deal." The current 10-year deal with CBS runs through '19. PGA of America CRO Kevin Ring said, "Our expectation is that in the fall we will have an idea of what direction we will go" (SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL, 8/13 issue).