Farmers Insurance Open Ratings: Phil Didn't Make More People Watch
by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 2, 2010 9:00 AM EST
in Pro Golf
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PrintAnd gang, there you have the double-edged sword of the ratings for Torrey Pines. They were up from last year some 14%, which is about 200,000 viewers more than last year. On the down side, they were about cut in half - down some 2,000,000 - from when Tiger played last in 2008.
According to Sports Media Watch, this was the first time for the Torrey event since '06 that overnight ratings increased over the prior year.
Bottom line: Phil and his grooves had little impact on how many people watched Ben Crane win.
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Ryan......
Did the last time Tiger played you referred to, happen to be the US Open or was it the Farmers/Buick? Obviously the US Open would have an audience many, many times bigger than a Buick Inv., so it is important which “last appearance” we are talking about. If it was the Open, I would think 2million less viewers would not be that much, considering all the media attention surrounding Tigers bum leg.
The Saints are in the SUPER BOWL....WHO DAT!
That’s for the Farmers Insurance Open in ’08, which was the Buick Invitational then.
Find me! Email: ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com, Twitter: http://twitter.com/waggleroomryan, or Facebook: http://facebook.com/waggleroom.
by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 2, 2010 10:22 AM EST up reply actions
This is Phil's problem....
He is not dependable. Tiger was there every Sunday week in and week out. Phil is very up and down. The Ups are great, but then he can fall off. Since there aren’t many household names on tour right now on viewership is down. The Tour needs to up the minimum tournament rule for it’s players. Say to 18 or 20. This would make the fields deeper, and bring the big names together more often. Where is Paddy, Where is Vijay Guys with multiple majors, who aren’t playing regularly yet this year. This is their tour too, and for the sake of the tour. Some of the bigger names need to play more. Vijay if healthy plays quite a bit, some of the others should follow his lead. We understand Phil’s dilemma, but some of the young “up and comers” may have to barnstorm it a little, and bring some attitude, and panache with them. Phil cannot carry the Tour. Especially now.
"The game is swell when it's played well."
by Fairways and Grins on Feb 2, 2010 7:10 PM EST up reply actions
International players have their own tours as well..
The PGA tour is not Paddys tour at all. the European tour is. Paddy and VJ are world players…the PGA tour is just a part of world golf..the days when it was the only tour to be on are long gone.The main tours need thinning out, there are too many events in a year. More is not better. If you go back to the ’80’s and try to restrict players to 18-20 events, you will lose many top players from abroad.
Paddy and Vijay are members of both the PGA Tour and Euro Tour – not sure what you mean about the PGA Tour not being “Paddy’s Tour”.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
I just don't agree with F and G...there shouldn't be a minimum of 18 events,
that would be a return to the bad old days. Instead of making fields deeper, it would only send many internationals to the Euro tour more often. They would still be able to play the big ones anyway…by forcing the issue, the PGA tour could accually get weaker…not deeper. Better to be part of a world tour stop, the best in the world would always be there.
Phil was in the field last year – the ratings are up this year – you’re looking in the wrong direction. How about 2.0’s affect on the ratings ? Mickelson wasn’t playing particularly well and couldn’t get anything going on Sunday. (I WISH I could have a crappy day and shoot 73)
Tiger is still the only player who seriously cranks up viewership – so a 200,000 viewer bump isn’t too bad.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
200,000 is kinda nothing for network TV. I mean, more or less, it was the same. So that’s not that bad.
Find me! Email: ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com, Twitter: http://twitter.com/waggleroomryan, or Facebook: http://facebook.com/waggleroom.
by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 2, 2010 10:22 AM EST up reply actions
we’re not talking American Idol – we’re talking about a niche sport
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
No surprise here.
For some reason I always get the impression from many posting here that TV ratings aren’t important and since it’s a “niche sport” it should be content with low viewership. And that standard, “golf did just fine without Tiger”. Seems to me Tiger Woods kick started a “niche sport” that was on it’s way to the same fate as PBA Bowling… But that’s about as popular opinion here as an Obama T-Shirt at a Palin rally……
it's relative
depends on who you’re asking. personally, I don’t care about the ratings – but TV execs would be jumping out of windows if one of their big shows all of sudden got a PGA Tour rating. A show that TV expects to get the ratings they get, like the PGA Tour, then gets a bump like the 200,000 they got last weekend, makes the front office happy. They know that they’re not going to get Tiger ratings, so they don’t expect those numbers. That 200,000 is a big number to the PGA Tour, but not to an American Idol.
I don’t thnk Tiger’s affect gets a whole lot of realistic examination. The PGA Tour was not going the way of the PBA – but it wasn’t what it has become the last 13 years. In fact, it isn’t today what it was the first 5 or 6 years of Tiger’s career. when he was playing more, and hitting all kinds of amazing flop shots and other creative shots. Ratings have dropped the last few years as Tiger has matured and gotten more efficient in how he gets around the course.
Golf DID do fine without TIger – but who wouldn’t want a piece of the growth pie that has happened with Tiger ? Equipment technology was already starting to explode with the Pings and Callaways and Taylormades designing bigger and sharper, and graphite shaft companies were making big strides.
The NBA came back from the dead with Magic and Bird – but went into orbit with Jordan. Today we have a dozen guys who physically do the things Jordan did (sans the killer instinct). The PGA Tour was doing well with Norman and Faldo at the top and a bunch of guys who learned to go long like Nicklaus – but didn’t have the drive to win week in and week out.
The next generation is going to have a dozen guys who are physical specimins like Tiger, but they won’t have the “it” that guys like Tiger and Jordan have – so ratings will fall to a point where they reach a sustainable plateau….until the next Nicklaus/Woods comes on the scene, where things will explode again. It’s just how things work.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
Thanks for your thoughtful reply!
You make an excellent case.
Court's a regular Perry Mason.
He always makes his case. Not that the rest of us are all Berger meat.
by TXQ on Feb 2, 2010 2:18 PM EST up reply actions
I’ve been watching PBA bowling steadily for the past 55 years…my grandfather was a pro bowler, my dad was a good bowler, I suck, that’s why I took up golf….boy was that a mistake.
that’s really cool, nibs. I’m amazed at great bowlers and how consistently they can do what they do and just how good they have to be from frame to frame. A ball missed by a fraction of an inch can cost a match.
when you say you “sucked” – does that mean you were “only” a 255 bowler with that pedigree ? (I’ve never topped 210 in my life – 215 looks light years away)
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
I actually did roll a 288 once when I was younger(35+ years ago). I just googled the PBA and was astonished to learn that it was just formed in 1958…my GF was a pro back in the 1920-30’s, meaning he bowled in the pro tourneys of those days(he also worked his factory day job). Bowling was an East coast/Midwest sport but very big in cities like Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago. It was probably right about the time the PBA was formed in 1958 that I started watching PBA bowling on Detroit WXYZ-7…I still recall Johnny King and Carmen Salvino from those days, and if you watch the PBA bowling on Sundays on ESPN, Carmen, who’s got to be in his 70’s, still sometimes bowls in and always sits in the front row on sSunday. Here’s a nostalgic look back into the early days of bowling…
http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:tPcR4_bBqscJ:www.bowlersjournal.com/current_issue/display_article%3Fid%3D74+Johnny+King+pro+bowler&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&ie=UTF-8
…and this snippet from that article…
“In 1959, "Championship Bowling" was moved to University Lanes in Toledo, Ohio, and the show featured all of the Brunswick staff members.”
…I was literally at that tournament with my mom/dad. My fav was a young stud bowler named Billy Golembiewski, who actually let me throw a few practice balls with him. Thanks for letting me go back down memory lane…I know it’s TMI for ping but as Ryan said earlier today…F-him!
VERY cool ! the story AND the score. I grew up close to Akron, OH and have been to those lanes in Toledo as well as where they used to play the PBA Championships in Akron…but I don’t have those great memories like yours.
(just a little different today than back then, eh ? huge bowling alleys filled with cigar and cigarette smoke)
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
My mom was born in Akron, her dad(not the bowler) managed the Mayflower hotel there(I’m sure it’s gone by now)…she used to meet all kinds of celebrities there(including Shirley Temple). Small world….I remember Firestone Lanes(like the golf course) but only from TV.
ey ? whats this ?
court and niblic getting along due to an accidental Bowling Conversation. Who would have guessed,, Next thing ya know the two of you will be going out dancing together and maybe a version #2 of dare I say, “Broke Back Mountain, life on the links” jes kidding LOL sorry had to go there. Glad to see you two finaly found some common ground.
"pain is only weakness leaving the body"
hey progolf/jumpn,
If a liberal like you and a FOXNEWS diehard like me can get along, anything’s possible…lol
Jumpin
from what you “golfin bodies” say, maybe you shuld have takin up bowlin…just sayin..har,har,har…LOL STUB
LMAO !!
Back when I was working in a club repair shop, the boss had one really annoying customer. Everything he did was exactly what the customer wanted, but it was never good enough because it didn’t magically make him shoot good scores. One day he got fed up with the guy and wrote down an address on a piece of paper and told him that this guy could probably help him more. It was the address of the bowling shop down the road.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
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