As Tiger Slips, Ratings Fall

As Tiger Woods faded at the U.S. Open, television ratings slipped.

The overnight rating/share for Sunday’s final round was a 5.6/13, off 40% from last year’s 9.3/21. On Saturday, with Woods still in contention, the overnight numbers were 5.3/13, only 17% below last year’s 6.4/16.

In Los Angeles, Saturday’s third round earned a 5.7/16, but Sunday’s final round had only a 4.0/11. The ratings in New York dipped from a 4.0/10 to a 3.6/9 from Saturday to Sunday. In Chicago, site of the Open, Saturday’s round earned a 7.0/18, Sunday’s an 8.3/20.

Last year’s 9.3 overnight rating for the final round in which Woods held off Phil Mickelson was the highest for a U.S. Open since Nielson began tracking overnight ratings in 1975. The round drew a record 38 million viewers.