U.S. Open TV Ratings Down 8% After Rain Delay, Underdog Winner

TV ratings for the U.S. Open were down a touch from last year but still relatively strong given the lack of star power on the leaderboard and a significant weather delay Sunday.

NBC and Peacock combined to average 5.4 million viewers for the final round, which suffered a roughly 90-minute stoppage of play as rain soaked Oakmont Country Club, before PGA Tour journeyman J.J. Spaun, a 150-to-1 pretournament underdog, beat Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre by two strokes.

That’s down just over 8% from last year’s U.S. Open, which averaged 5.9 viewers as Bryson DeChambeau outdueled Rory McIlroy at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina. 

Before the weather delay began Sunday, final-round viewership was trending up 6% compared to the same time slot (noon to 4 p.m. ET). Ratings peaked at 9 million viewers just after 8 p.m. ET.

Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm, who each finished tied for seventh, five strokes behind Spaun, were the highest-finishing previous major champions on the leaderboard.

Complete four-round U.S. Open coverage on linear channels NBC and USA Network averaged 2.9 million viewers, down from 3.1 million in 2024. That marks the second-most-watched East Coast U.S. Open since 2013. U.S. Opens at West Coast venues like Pebble Beach Golf Links traditionally draw higher TV ratings as they finish primetime viewing hours.

The 2025 U.S. Open, which included 10 and a half hours of exclusive coverage on Peacock, was the most-streamed golf event in NBC Sports history.

NBC is entering the final year of its USGA media-rights deal in 2026 and is currently negotiating a potential contract extension to keep broadcasting the U.S. Open and other championships.