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Nielsen just got back to me in regards to ratings for the PGA and LPGA this past weekend.

Tiger Woods' win at the AT&T National drew an overnight rating more than three times higher than last year, when he was injured.

CBS said Monday that Sunday's final round of the tournament Woods hosts earned a 4.6 rating and 11 share, up from the 1.5 a year ago.

It was the highest rating for a non-major on CBS since the Buick Invitational in January 2008, which Woods also won.

The LPGA on the other hand went backwards. The ESPN hosted final round earned less than a 0.9 and in many quarter hours a 0.6 and was one of the least watched sporting events of the entire weekend.

Hope the US Open brings more viewership.
 
The LPGA on the other hand went backwards. The ESPN hosted final round earned less than a 0.9 and in many quarter hours a 0.6 and was one of the least watched sporting events of the entire weekend.

To be expected really. It was in direct competition with the PGA, where Tiger Woods was in the final group with AK. So the golf-watchers were watching that. To make matters worse, the LPGA had an unknown, foreign, player with a six-shot lead after 54 holes and Michelle Wie was finished with her round in the first 30 minutes. Not a recipe for high numbers.

Too bad for the people who skipped the LPGA - Morgan Pressel's run was far more exciting than AK's merely average round in the face of his pairing with TW.

I have issues with the Nielsen numbers anyway. They don't take into account "time-shifting" by viewers. i.e., the large section of TV viewers with DVRs who simply watch a show at a later time. For example, I watched the LPGA first and then the PGA.
 
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Agreed 100%. Its a shame that the ad dollars dont agree. But I guess time shifters skip the ads anyway.
 
Yeah, Congressional was good golf TV though. The stage was set perfectly for high ratings, whether it delivered or not. The LPGA leaderboard going into Sunday was painful for ratings watchers, however. I DVR'd both, and watched Congressional 1st (usually I watch LPGA first, but this time the AK/TW thing plus the local nature of the course were too much to pass up).
 
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This goes back to my theory though that it is not about who is in the lead for the LPGA. Make the courses longer and harder and people will tune in to see a grind with the cream rising to the top. Not a birdie fest where anybody can win.
 
To be expected really. It was in direct competition with the PGA, where Tiger Woods was in the final group with AK. So the golf-watchers were watching that.

I have said it before, if you want to increase the LPGA's numbers stop putting them on tv at the same time the PGA is on. Why not switch the schedule completely & have them compete in the winter when half of the USA can't golf due to lousy weather? There are enough warm weather locations as well as overseas venues that could easily host "winter golf". Those of us who are jonesing for anything golf related in the middle of january would happily watch the ladies play.

They have to establish a fan base somehow & what they are doing now sure as heck isn't doing it.
 
I can't remember which announcer said it (Jane Crafter or Dottie Pepper maybe), but during the SBS Open at Turtle Bay, which was a 54 hole event that ended on Saturday, one of the announcers suggested that the LPGA run all events from Wed. - Sat. instead of Thur. - Sun. It would offset them from the PGA events. It might also get some people watching on Wednesday and hook them for the remaining rounds. Plus, the "big finish" would be on Saturday instead of competing with the PGA on Sunday.

I think that is a very intriguing idea.
 
indeed harry, but golf is a sport with much history and i dont know if people would be willing to change their ways...i think that is a very good idea though
 
I can't remember which announcer said it (Jane Crafter or Dottie Pepper maybe), but during the SBS Open at Turtle Bay, which was a 54 hole event that ended on Saturday, one of the announcers suggested that the LPGA run all events from Wed. - Sat. instead of Thur. - Sun. It would offset them from the PGA events. It might also get some people watching on Wednesday and hook them for the remaining rounds. Plus, the "big finish" would be on Saturday instead of competing with the PGA on Sunday.

I think that is a very intriguing idea.

I rarely watch the LPGA, but would start to if they started their tourneys on Wednesday.
 
I can't remember which announcer said it (Jane Crafter or Dottie Pepper maybe), but during the SBS Open at Turtle Bay, which was a 54 hole event that ended on Saturday, one of the announcers suggested that the LPGA run all events from Wed. - Sat. instead of Thur. - Sun. It would offset them from the PGA events. It might also get some people watching on Wednesday and hook them for the remaining rounds. Plus, the "big finish" would be on Saturday instead of competing with the PGA on Sunday.

I think that is a very intriguing idea.

Yes, that would be a great idea. I watched both, flipping back & forth, but the LPGA doesn't stand a chance against the PGA, especially when Tiger is playing...and the Wimbledon Final too.
 
The ratings for the US Women's Open are in and they are not good.

Final round coverage of the U.S. Women's Open drew a 1.3 overnight on NBC Sunday, and the final number is about a 1.1-1.2, down 19% from a 1.6 last year, and the lowest overnight for final round coverage of the event in the history of the LPGA and ratings.

Attendance was also low with ticket sales down 21% from last year and the lowest they have had for a major in 14 years, with the exception of the last one. The ESPN coverage was actually higher than the NBC coverage for the 1st 30 minutes of coverage when they were talking about the Bivens fiasco. The last two quarter hours were less than a one which goes to show that the public did not care about who won or who was competing.

Here is to hoping they can turn the page, but this was a tourny they were counting to be a good number (1.7-2.1) and it blew up on them. The John Deere actually had higher ratings for more than 3/4ths of the coverage and their event was lacking talent.

The rumors we are hearing is that the USGA is going to tweak this thing again to make sure the Wie, Gulbis, etc... thing does not happen again.
 
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