Tiger Deserves 4.9 Million Shares In NBC/Universal For Single Handedly Saving Them Sunday

Not that those shares would get his attention, but hey, it's a gesture for making the putt and averting a disastrous Monday playoff.

From the PR folks at NBC/Universal/GE/Sheinhardt Wigs (that's for all 3 of you fellow 30 Rock watchers).

Woods Sixth Title at Bay Hill Scores Highest Event Rating in 7 Years & 23% Increase Over Last Year

NEW YORK – March 30, 2009 - NBC Sports' final round coverage of the Arnold Palmer Invitational yesterday (2:30-8 p.m. ET), which stretched into primetime, earned the best overnight rating for a golf event since the 2008 U.S. Open and the highest for any PGA TOUR event (excludes major championships) in more than two years (Jan. 28, 2007, Buick Invitational) according to Nielsen Media Research. The 4.9 overnight rating and 10 share was the best for the final round of Bay Hill in seven years (2002 - 5.7/11, Woods victory) and an increase of 23 percent over last year (4.0/9) which Woods also won with a birdie putt on the final hole.

The rating peaked at a 7.8/13 from 7:30-8 p.m. ET as Tiger Woods secured the one-shot victory with a birdie putt on the 18th hole as the sun was setting, his sixth Bay Hill title and first since last year’s historic U.S. Open victory.

The Bay Hill rating outperformed two of last year’s major championships: 48 percent higher than the final round of the British Open (3.3) and 75 percent greater than the final round of the PGA Championship (2.8).

Saturday’s third round coverage on NBC delivered a 2.7/6, 17% higher than last year (2.3/6).

Top metered markets for Sunday’s final round coverage of the Arnold Palmer Invitational on NBC are as follows:
1. Fort Myers, 11.6/20
2. Orlando, 10.6/20
3. West Palm Beach, 8.8/15
4. Tampa, 7.6/15
5. Providence, 7.4/12
6. Buffalo, 7.1/13
7 Milwaukee, 6.9/13
T8. Minneapolis, 6.4/14
T8. Baltimore, 6.4/11
10. Cleveland, 6.1/11

Tiger Secures Largest Comeback Win And Much Needed FedEx Cup Point Boost Heading Into The Masters

Overcoming absurdly slow playing partners, too much sand raked into the bunker faces, really dated looking pitch out rough, pesky grain on nearly shot according to Johnny and Arnold, wind, rain and a grueling course setup, Tiger Woods captured his sixth Arnold Palmer Annuity Invitational to the relief of NBC executives who normally would have shipped the delayed finish off to the Golf Channel if it weren't for Tiger contending gambled and kept the final round coverage on in east coast prime time.

ESPN.com featured Phelan Ebenhack's AP photo as well as this video of the putt. Doug Ferguson reports on the win, the third Tiger has secured on Bay Hill's 18th green.

3 Missing Spectators Located In Bay Hill Rough, 2 More Still Unaccounted For And Presumed Bored

From what I watched today and pick up in Doug Ferguson's round two game story, it sounds like the U.S. Open-light setup at Bay Hill is keeping The King happy. But there seem to be quite a few big names taking a pass. I wonder if he makes the connection?

Seems Jack Nicklaus has gotten the message, according to Rex Hoggard at GolfChannel.com.

According to tournament director Dan Sullivan, the 2009 Memorial, played June 4-7, will feature shorter rough, two rebuilt greens and none of the furrowed bunkers that were introduced in 2006.

“Last year we made it a little more severe than the Tour was comfortable with,” Sullivan said. “Jack is very reasonable about the way he wants the golf course to perform. He is a player and he’s built the tournament and the golf course to be a fair test.”

The first step in that direction was the length of Muirfield Village’s rough. Weather permitting, Memorial officials plan to have the rough at about 3 to 3 ½ inches to begin tournament week, at least an inch shorter than it was last year.

“We paid particular attention to rough length and how the golf course was performing,” Sullivan said. “Because of the density and length it was very tough.”