Why Does NBC Draw Much Higher Ratings For Golf?

Jon Show looks at the PGA Tour's number averaging a 2.0, back to 2007 levels with Tiger's return to regular play. But I find it more interesting that NBC averaged a 2.4 while CBS a 1.9...

NBC benefited the most from the return of Woods, boosting its year-over-year rating for 18 windows from a 2.0 in 2008 to a 2.4 this year, which is flat with 2007. NBC aired the highest-rated non-major of the year, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Woods’ first win after he returned in February.

NBC and CBS each aired coverage of six non-majors that Woods played. He won four events on CBS and two on NBC.

CBS earned a 1.9 rating for 39 telecasts in 2009, up from a 1.6 in 2008 but down from a 2.0 in 2007. The network posted the four lowest Sunday ratings this season with coverage of the FBR Open, Verizon Heritage, HP Byron Nelson Championship and Zurich Classic. CBS was also hurt by a rainout at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and Woods’ absence at the Buick Invitational, an event that normally marks the start of his season.

Why do I suspect this will come up the next time rights fees are discussed?

FedEx Cup Trophy Reflection Help

I couldn't help but notice the reflection of Dan and Johnny's notes in today's FedEx Cup trophy. Our La Habra-based art director Tom Naccarato was able to pick up one of Johnny's note pads, but we couldn't make out his fifth mantra. (See third image.) If anyone can translate what they see in the trophy reflection, please post below.

 

"I probably shouldn't say this, but if I had played in the [Greg] Norman-[Nick] Faldo era, instead of winning 25 times with two majors, I probably would have won 40 times and had six majors."

Monte Burke talks to Johnny Miller, his usual humble self, offering a few thoughts worth checking out there. Highlights:

Forbes: Give us an idea of the preparation you go through before covering an event.

Johnny Miller: I don't want to brag, but I do more homework on the course than any other announcer.

More than Gary McCord?

I chart the greens to get all the breaks. I walk down into the greenside bunkers. I walk into the fairway bunkers to see whether a player can reach the green from them. My goal is to get to know the course as [well] or better than the players.

That doesn't take much these days!

Forbes: What's your take on the overall state of the game?

Johnny Miller: They've got it really good. The Tour is a fantastic place to be right now. I don't look back and say I got hosed. I think our era, if you don't count money, was maybe the most exciting era. You had Palmer, Nicklaus, Player, Trevino, [Raymond] Floyd, [Hale] Irwin, [Tom] Weiskopf, myself and Hubert Green. It was a golden age of golf from 1970 to 1980. I don't know if there will ever be one quite like it. Every era has two or three great golfers. Our era had six to 10. I probably shouldn't say this, but if I had played in the [Greg] Norman-[Nick] Faldo era, instead of winning 25 times with two majors, I probably would have won 40 times and had six majors. That era had [Fred] Couples, Norman, Faldo and [Curtis] Strange, but it didn't really have guys who could play on Sunday. We had the great era of Sunday players. There's a lot to be said for that.

That's great Johnny, but it was a state of the game question, not the state of your game had you been in your prime during the 90s (wait...didn't you win a tour event in the 90s?).

Now this was interesting:

Will Tiger break Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 career major wins?

Everybody has a choke point. Nicklaus' was winning the Grand Slam. All of Tiger's life ever since he was kid, he's wanted to get to 19 majors. It's probably going to get a lot harder with these last five. Let's put it this way: He doesn't want to go next year without winning any majors, because he'll probably start second-guessing himself.

Tiger is a pretty old 33. He's been going at it for an awful long time. Maybe he's one of those guys like Tom Kite or Gary Player, one of those guys who never lost the love of competition and traveling and living out of a suitcase in a motel room. They just couldn't get enough. Maybe Tiger will be that way, but maybe if he has more children, he'll play just eight tourneys a year. It's not a guarantee that he'll win five more. There are plenty of guys who played great golf, had great careers and only won a few majors. If I had to guess, I'd say that he will beat the record, but it will be a struggle.