As the 2009 Masters gets underway this week, The Nielsen Company looks at the tournament’s final round ratings during the reign of Tiger Woods. Starting in 1997, when Woods won his first of four green jackets, his presence at the top of the leaderboard has been ratings gold.
| Ratings For The Masters Golf Tournement: 1997-2008 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Woods Result | Viewers P2+ |
| 1997 | Won | 13,685,000 |
| 1998 | T-8 | 9,957,000 |
| 1999 | T-18 | 9,993,000 |
| 2000 | 5th | 10,061,000 |
| 2001 | Won | 13,638,000 |
| 2002 | Won | 9,694,000 |
| 2003 | T-15 | 8,811,000 |
| 2004 | T-22 | 7,913,000 |
| 2005 | Won | 10,778,000 |
| 2006 | T-3 | 9,298,000 |
| 2007 | 2nd | 10,152,000 |
| 2008 | T-2 | 9,711,000 |
| Source: The Nielsen Company / All telecasts on CBS | ||
In tournaments won by Tiger, CBS averages 11.9 million viewers during final round coverage. In each tournament since 1997 NOT won by Tiger, viewership for the final round drops 20% to an average of 9.5 million viewers.
In 2008 and in 2007, Woods finished second, keeping Tiger and his iconic red shirt in the mix for Sunday viewing. In those years, viewership was notably higher even than when fan favorite Phil Mickelson - arguably the PGA's second biggest star - won in 2004 and 2006.
