Report: Tiger Woods' Withdrawal Has Impact On Genesis Invitational TV Viewing Figures
Sunday’s action at Riviera Country Club reportedly failed to attract the same number of viewers as the 2023 finale
The Genesis Invitational is traditionally one of the biggest events on the PGA Tour calendar, and the 2024 edition was no different.
However, the final round at Riviera Country Club reportedly didn’t quite capture the imagination of TV fans as much as the 2023 finale. That’s despite 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama carding a breathtaking nine-under 62 in the final round to win by three shots.
Per Josh Carpenter of Sports Business Journal, the Japanese star’s heroics attracted 3.245m CBS viewers on Sunday. That’s down around 5% on the 2023 total for the final round, where 3.424m fans watched Jon Rahm hold off the challenge of Max Homa to claim his third PGA Tour win of the year and return to the top of the world rankings.
Final round of the Genesis Invitational on CBS draws 3.245M viewers on Sunday. That's down 5% from last year (3.424M) for Jon Rahm's win. Two years ago: 2.618M pic.twitter.com/Rk3NqlfKRzFebruary 21, 2024
One big advantage the final round of the 2023 edition had over this year’s finale was the participation of Tiger Woods. The 15-time Major winner rolled back the years on the Saturday with a hugely impressive four-under 67. Even though he could only follow that up with a 73 on Sunday to finish T45, his overall performance offered plenty of encouragement to fans hoping to see him return to some of his best form as the year progressed.
After Woods limped out of the Masters, though, ankle surgery soon put paid to that hope, and, following appearances towards the end of the year at the Hero World Challenge and PNC Championship, he returned to competitive PGA Tour action at last week's event.
Unfortunately for the 48-year-old, who was hosting the tournament, any hopes he had of playing all four rounds were dashed when he had to withdraw during Friday’s second round because of flu, and he was also not around on Sunday to hand the trophy to Matsuyama. Another blow to the latter stages of the tournament came with the disqualification of three-time Major winner Jordan Spieth on Friday after signing an incorrect scorecard.
Despite those two high-profile absentees over the weekend, there were still plenty of big names who made the cut, with the likes of Matsuyama, Will Zalatoris, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele all battling out toward the top of the leaderboard in the signature event.
Get the top Black Friday deals right in your inbox: Sign up now!
The hottest deals and product recommendations during deals season straight to your inbox plus all the best game-changing tips, in-depth features and the latest news and insights around the game.
Even though the final round of the 2024 tournament couldn’t attract the same figure as last year, the number was still up significantly on the final round of two years ago, when 2.618m tuned in to watch Joaquin Niemann pick up his second PGA Tour win.
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.
-
Cyber Monday Golf Deals Live: plenty of early offers live from top brands like TaylorMade, adidas and Titleist
Don't miss out on all the latest deals from Cyber Monday, with thousands live from brands like TaylorMade, Callaway, Titleist, Ping and more
By Sam Tremlett Last updated
-
John Catlin Just Won The Asian Tour's Order Of Merit By Miles - But Here's Why The American Could Still Miss Out On His LIV Golf 'Dream'
Catlin wrapped up one of the Asian Tour's season-long titles at the penultimate event, but he still has work to do if he wants a lucrative LIV Golf League spot
By Jonny Leighfield Published