The PGA Championship experienced a noticeable drop in viewership during Friday’s second round broadcast, a decline that wasn’t entirely unexpected.
According to data from awfulnews.com, ESPN’s coverage of the second round, which aired from noon to 7 p.m. Eastern Time, averaged 1.3 million viewers. That figure represents a 21 percent decline compared to the previous year’s second round broadcast, which drew an average of 1.6 million viewers over the same seven-hour period.
Several factors likely contributed to the lower ratings. One major element missing this year was the kind of drama and headline-making news that made last year’s tournament so compelling. In 2024, Scottie Scheffler was arrested early Friday morning before the second round, an incident that dominated news cycles and brought a surge of curiosity-driven viewers to ESPN’s coverage. Scheffler’s release from jail just in time to play his round created a unique and dramatic storyline that captured the attention of not only golf fans but casual sports viewers as well. Additionally, Tiger Woods teed off in the afternoon that day, always a reliable draw for television audiences.
In contrast, this year’s second round lacked that kind of star-powered buzz. The leaderboard on Friday featured several players who are not household names, which may have made it less compelling for casual fans to tune in. Not until the later stages of the tournament did more familiar names like Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, and Bryson DeChambeau rise into contention for the Wanamaker Trophy.
The lack of a captivating storyline and limited star presence on the leaderboard likely dampened viewer interest during the early rounds. Golf fans may have opted to wait until the weekend to tune in, once the leaderboard had taken a more familiar and competitive shape.
Viewership data for CBS’s weekend broadcasts of the third and final rounds has not yet been released but is expected to be available by Tuesday morning. Those numbers will provide a clearer picture of overall interest in this year’s PGA Championship and whether the emergence of top-ranked players later in the tournament helped boost ratings in the final stretch.
