NBC drew a 2.9 overnight rating for Shane Lowry’s six-stroke win yesterday at the Open Championship, marking the net’s lowest figure since it reacquired rights to the event prior to ’16. It is also the lowest for any Sunday at the Open Championship since ’14, when ESPN drew a 2.6 as Rory McIlroy beat Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia (excludes 2.6 for ESPN’s Monday finish in ’15). NBC is down 42% from last year, when Tiger Woods held the solo lead through 10 holes en route to a sixth-place finish. Woods missed the cut this year. Two years ago, NBC drew a 3.6 overnight for Jordan Spieth’s win over Matt Kuchar. Tee times also were moved up an hour yesterday due to the threat of bad weather. The Open had started strong on Thursday on Golf Channel, as the cable net drew a 0.8 overnight for the first round from 8:00am-4:00pm, marking the best figure since ’15 (Austin Karp, THE DAILY).
WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY? THE RINGER's Megan Schuster wrote NBC/Golf Channel's David Feherty is the "king of one-liners," and yesterday he "added another gem to his list." While describing Patrick Reed, who was "playing out in a swirling rainstorm without a jacket or any protective gear, Feherty said that Reed must have 'the disposition of a harbor seal' to not want to put on a raincoat" (THERINGER.com, 7/21).
MISSED OPPORTUNITY: GOLFWEEK's Geoff Shackelford listed the on-course Wi-Fi at Royal Portrush as one of his "losers" for the week. The R&A "unveiled cutting edge internet connectivity throughout the course" in '14, but "unfortunately as more devices are logging in, the service deteriorated to a new low at Portrush." The ineffectiveness was "especially painful given that fans can no longer purchase radios to listen in on the outstanding broadcast here, instead asked to listen via an app that relies on Wifi and drains batteries" (GOLFWEEK.com, 7/21).
