PGA Tour Return Draws 683,000 Average, Most Watched Non-Major Thursday Since 2019 Players

The COVID-19 era’s first official full-field event drew a healthy 683k viewers during its Golf Channel window, and another 447k viewers when a PGA Tour Live free preview ran showing the 2020 Charles Schwab Challenge. (Comparisons to last year’s May playing are in the press release below and the primary sign of a ratings bump.)

Before any Tour execs start elbow bumping over the numbers, ShowBuzzDaily says the highly anticipated return’s .12 rating landed 68th on the list of top cable programs Thursday. The live golf scored 82nd for the morning PGA Tour Live airing.

The 69th ranked show Thursday was Loud House on Nickelodeon, while 70th was Untold Stories of Hip Hop on something called WETV. (No clue. I have a better chance of finding TruTV on the dial.)

For Immediate Release:

PGA TOUR’S RETURN BECOMES MOST-WATCHED ROUND 1 

SINCE 2019 PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP; MOST-WATCHED

AT EVENT SINCE 2003 FEATURING ANNIKA SORENSTAM

FORT WORTH, Texas (June 12, 2020) – The PGA TOUR returned to competition yesterday for the first time since March 12, as GOLF Channel’s live coverage of Thursday’s opening round of the Charles Schwab Challenge earned a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 683,000 average viewers (4-7p ET), up 160% vs. opening round of the 2019 Charles Schwab Challenge (263k TAD). Yesterday becomes the most-watched Thursday telecast on the PGA TOUR (excluding Presidents Cup) since the 2019 PLAYERS Championship (907k average viewers). It also marks the most-watched opening round telecast at the event (672k average viewers) in its 14 years on GOLF Channel (2007-’20), and since 2003, when LPGA Tour player Annika Sorenstam competed alongside her PGA TOUR counterparts.

Additional highlights:

GOLF Channel (4-7p ET) on Thursday was the No. 1 cable sports network by 225%, and No. 5 overall cable network.

Persons 25-54 saw 203k average viewers, +421% vs. opening round of 2019 Charles Schwab Challenge (39k average viewers).

GOLF Channel also preceded traditional live tournament coverage on Thursday with expanded inside-the-ropes coverage of PGA TOUR LIVE featured groups, which earned 447k average viewers (Noon-4p ET), +252% vs. The Honda Classic opening round PGA TOUR LIVE featured groups in February (127k).