This Week In Golf Channel Ratings: TOC Monday, Sony Sunday

Son Of The Bronx posts the latest numbers that included the Monday finish at Kapalua and last weekend's traditional Sunday ending of the Sony Open. For the week, the channel averaged 166,000 viewers in prime time, 87,000 for the day, down from 231,000/101,000.

The live telecast of the Hyundai Tournament of Champions was the No. 1 program for the week, drawing a .3 and 496,000 viewers. Number two was Sunday's Sony Open final round, which drew a .2 and 346,000 viewers going against the NFL playoff game.

The top rated Golf Central was Saturday's 11:30 ET showing, drawing a .1, 132,000 viewers following a third round replay of the Sony that had 97,000 viewers.

And the most watched Morning Drive was Saturday (.1, 127,000), which aired at noon ET.

Update on 2014-01-17 18:30 by Geoff

**I hadn't looked at Fox Sports 1's numbers in a while. Wow. Almost no increase over a year ago when it was the Speed Channel.

Injury Rough Is Back And It's Lamer Than Ever!

I read through the lines after Sergio Garcia's post-round (76) comments about rough in Abu Dhabi, and wrote about it for GolfDigest.com. I think you'll be surprised to find Sergio was right to call out the course setup tactics.

Because just when you thought the days of injury-inducing rough had ended...

Update on 2014-01-16 20:56 by Geoff

**A SkySports.com report quotes broadcaster Ewan Murray praising the rough, even though it might induce injury.

Murray described the course set-up as "marvellous", and said: "You are talking about setting up the golf course to test some of the finest players in the game today. In my opinion, that examination needs to be a stern one.

"Straight driving is very much part of the game and those who hit most fairways should have the advantage over those who don't. You will not beat these players will length alone, but you will identify the best of them by putting the premium on accuracy.

"The Tour should shorten the course on perhaps two of the four days and combine that with tucking the pins away. Give them different tests rather than the same all four rounds.

"The courses in the States are too easy. There is little or no rough and that plays into the hands of the long hitters. Their setting up of courses creates one dimensional players.

Who'd a thunk we'd come to the point that the U.S. was home to low rough and it was Europe trying to give us the dreadful high-rough, yawnfest golf?

"We copy America too often. The European Tour should take the lead, add variety and ask the players some different questions. When you do that the best will come up with the answers."

Asking players to walk a fine thin center line is not asking a different question. It's asking the same one-dimensional question over and over again.