Tiger Woods Continues to Be PGA Tour’s TV Rainmaker

There’s one asset the PGA Tour has rebel LIV Golf can’t match. That’s Tiger Woods. 

That was underlined last weekend as the 47-year-old golf legend completed his first 72-hole tournament since the 2022 Masters.

The 15-time major winner finished tied for 45th at the Genesis Invitational. But his participation proved a TV boon for CBS Sports and Golf Channel.

• CBS’ coverage of Sunday’s Final Round averaged 3.4 million viewers – up 31% from the comparable final round in 2022. With Woods firing a 4-under 67, CBS third round viewership averaged 2.8 million viewers, up 33%. It was the most-watched Saturday PGA Tour telecast, on any network, since the 2021 Players Championship.
• Across Saturday and Sunday, CBS averaged 3.1 million viewers, up 32% from the year before. It was the best two-day TV average at the event since 2019.  
• Golf Channel’s second-round coverage also generated substantial numbers. Across the linear network and Peacock streaming platform, Friday’s coverage generated a total audience delivery (TAD) of 931,000 viewers. That was up 52% from last year. 
• It marked the network’s most-watched Genesis second round on record. And was the most-watched 2nd round for any PGA Tour stop since the 2021 Players.

LIV Golf, meanwhile, is making its media and marketing moves as it prepares to kick off its 2023 season in Mayakoba, Mexico on Friday.

On Thursday, the Saudi-backed tour rolled out the LIV Golf Plus app and LIVGolfPlus.com website to enable fans to watch events from around the world. 

The breakaway golf circuit also got some good news when the PGA of America decreed LIV players can tee it up at this year’s PGA Championship. 

That marks a clean sweep, with LIV stars now eligible to play in all four of golf’s major tournaments this year.