Golf Ratings Watch: LPGA Flat, PGA Tour Improves

by Ryan Ballengee on Apr 8, 2009 11:31 AM EDT

Sports Media Watch has the ratings from golf last weekend, and the results are pretty encouraging.

The LPGA Tour's Kraft Nabisco Championship did a 0.8 on CBS Sports on Sunday. That was flat from last year when Lorena Ochoa won. The rating either tells you that:

women's golf ratings will be the same regardless of who plays
Lorena Ochoa is not that big of a draw to the general public
the great golf we saw at the end sustained a pretty decent sized audience

Meanwhile, on the PGA Tour, the Shell Houston Open saw a huge increase from last year.

The 2.7 overnight for final round coverage of the Shell Houston Open was up a whopping 42% from a 1.9 last year, and marks the highest final round overnight for the event since '05.

I have no good reason to attritube this, except that Fred Couples was in contention. Paul Casey and JB Holmes are definitely not on the tip of the sporting public's tongue. But, ratings increases - particularly those among Tiger-less tournaments - are a big deal. 42%!

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LPGA = WNBA

The men’s league is who people want to see.

Not the woman’s

by AppleCub on Apr 8, 2009 8:50 PM EDT reply actions

thanks, AC

blow that cold air in someone else’s direction, please

by The Constructivist on Apr 9, 2009 12:16 AM EDT reply actions

Almost every indicator of the health of a pro golf tour suggests that you’re wrong, AC. Gate attendance, purse size, TV ratings, website hits, TV deals. All of it.

by Ryan Ballengee on Apr 9, 2009 11:12 AM EDT reply actions

I have to disagree with you, too, AC – the WNBA is a welfare league supported mostly by NBA dollars. The LPGA, though not AS popular as the PGA Tour – stands on its own and has a solid, and growing, following.

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Apr 9, 2009 1:15 PM EDT reply actions