The PGA Tour’s designated events are working, just look at the numbers and ask the networks.
A week after CBS reported the final round of the 2023 Masters was the most-watched golf broadcast in the past five years, the network drew 4.152 million viewers Sunday for the 2023 RBC Heritage, up 11 percent from last year. The final round – which included a three-hole playoff between eventual winner Matt Fitzpatrick and defending champion Jordan Spieth – was the most-watched final round of the Tour’s season (Masters aside).
The final round of the RBC Heritage finished behind three NBA playoff games as the fourth most-watched sporting event over the weekend.
As reported by the Sports Business Journal’s Josh Carpenter, the final-round duel between Fitzpatrick and Spieth was the most-watched final round of the RBC Heritage since 2002, which also featured a playoff between Justin Leonard and Heath Slocum and boasted 4.575 million viewers. SBJ also noted all but one of the eight designated events on the Tour’s schedule – the Sentry Tournament of Champions – has earned a year-over-year increase in viewership so far this season.
The Tour’s next designated event, the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship, will be held May 4-7 at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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