Rory McIlroy’s star power was on display at the Players Championship, which saw its final-round TV ratings increase from 2024, despite a four-hour weather delay, with the Northern Irishman surging up the leaderboard Sunday en route to victory.
NBC averaged 3.6 million viewers for Sunday’s broadcast, up from an audience of 3.5 million last year when Scottie Scheffler won his second straight Players Championship. In 2023, NBC averaged 4.1 million viewers.
Golf Channel averaged 908,000 viewers for the first portion of the final round from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (all times ET); tee times were moved up several hours in an attempt to conclude play before rain. NBC picked up coverage for only 45 minutes before play was suspended at 1:15 p.m. The final round resumed at 5:15 p.m. and ended just after 7:30 p.m. with McIlroy and J.J. Spaun tied at 12 under par.
On Monday morning, Golf Channel aired the three-hole playoff that McIlroy won, which earned him a record-tying $4.5 million first-place prize. TV ratings for the playoff are not yet available.
The Rory Bump
McIlroy’s other victory on the PGA Tour this season also brought a spike in TV ratings.
Last month, CBS drew 3.33 million viewers for the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which McIlroy won by two shots over Shane Lowry. That was up 47% from the final round in 2023; the 2024 final round was canceled due to weather. It’s also the biggest TV ratings increase for any of the PGA Tour’s four signature events so far this season.
After the victory at TPC Sawgrass, McIlroy has the second-best betting odds at most sportsbooks to win the Masters next month, behind Scottie Scheffler. In 2024, TV ratings for the final round at Augusta National dropped 20% year over year, as 9.59 million viewers watched Scheffler win his second Green Jacket by four shots over Ludvig Åberg.
