The PGA Tour did a remarkable job navigating around a front of storms that ripped through Northeast Florida on Sunday and earned a nice prize because of it.
Final round ratings for The Players on NBC averaged 3.6 million viewers, up from 3.5 million last year, when Scottie Scheffler stormed back with an 8-under 64 to win a second straight title. Josh Carpenter of Sports Business Journal initially reported the news.
This year saw Rory McIlroy hold the lead down the stretch, but he ultimately finished at 12-under par alongside J.J. Spaun. The sun then set, leaving everyone to wait for a Monday finish. McIlroy then defeated Spaun in a three-hole aggregate playoff on Monday morning.
Coverage peaked on Sunday at 6.2 million, up from 6 million last year, a surprising figure considering golf fans had to endure a four-hour weather delay on Sunday afternoon.
The tour did everything they could to get out in front of the forecasted storms. They moved up tee times to the morning, sent players out in threesomes and off of split tees, and hoped for the best. But Mother Nature brought lightning and heavy rain at about 1:15 p.m. ET, which sent the players off the course until 5:15 p.m. ET.
Luckily, when players returned to their spots at TPC Sawgrass, they had a little more than two hours left of daylight. By then, every group had played at least 10 holes, leaving enough time for everyone to finish. McIlroy also held the solo lead when play stopped, and ratings usually yield solid returns whenever the top of the leaderboard features his name. That was the case this week, but considering The Players had to endure a lengthy weather delay, tour executives and NBC brass must feel pleased with these numbers.
This also continues a bounce-back trend for the PGA Tour in 2025, as CBS also saw a ratings bump during its West Coast Swing throughout February.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
