The Open Final Round Viewing Figures Hit Nine-Year Low

Xander Schauffele’s second Major win of the year failed to inspire the TV-watching public in the US

Xander Schauffele with the Claret Jug after his win at The Open
Xander Schauffele's win failed to bring in more TV viewers than the previous year
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Mike Hall
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published

Xander Schauffele may have served up a brilliant final round of 65 at the fourth Major of the year, The Open at Royal Troon, but it failed to capture the imagination of the TV-watching public in the US. 

Per Josh Carpenter of Sports Business Journal, coverage on NBC and Peacock on Sunday, where Schauffele emerged from the chasing pack to beat overnight leader Billy Horschel and 2013 US Open champion Justin Rose by two shots, saw a 4% drop on the previous year with just 3.39 million viewers tuning in.

Perhaps even more worrying is the figure is the lowest number for the final round of the Major since 2015, when Zach Johnson beat Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman in a playoff in a Monday finish at St Andrews.

The news completes a mixed bag for the year’s four men's Majors. The first of the year, April’s Masters at Augusta National, saw a 20% drop on the previous year on CBS Sports during the final round, with 9.589m viewers tuning in as Scottie Scheffler claimed the Green Jacket for the second time.

Billy Horschel acknowledges the fans at The Open

Billy Horschel had to settle for T2 at The Open

(Image credit: Getty Images)

There was encouragement with the PGA Championship in May, though, with CBS Sports recording a 10% increase in viewership for the final round, where Schauffele claimed his maiden Major title.

It got even better with June’s US Open at Pinehurst No.2, which enjoyed an 11-year NBC record as Bryson DeChambeau emerged the winner of an epic battle against Rory McIlroy.

Away from the Majors, it has been an equally confusing picture throughout the PGA Tour season, with even its flagship event, The Players Championship, seeing a drop on the previous year in the final round despite a grandstand finish as Scheffler held off the challenge of Schauffele, Harman and Wyndham Clark to win.

Elsewhere there’s been better news, including at the Valero Texas Open, where an epic finish won by Akshay Bhatia saw a 21% increase on the previous year on NBC, while the Zurich Classic of New Orleans had its highest final-round figures in three years helped by Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry’s win in the unique team event.

Mike Hall
Mike Hall
News Writer

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories. 

He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game. 

Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course. 

Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.

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