Now that the PGA Tour seems to be in innovation mode – or it soon could be depending on how the negotiations play out with the Saudis – here’s a concept worth considering:
Finish the January tournaments – the Sentry, the Sony Open in Hawaii and the American Express – on Friday or Saturday nights rather than the traditional Sunday ending.
The fourth January event, the Farmers Insurance Open, already has done it, deciding two years ago to finish on Saturday to avoid the viewing tsunami created by the NFL’s conference championship games on that Sunday.
It’s not going to be a ratings bonanza, but the final rounds become bigger news on days when the NFL isn’t playing.
The tour long ago acknowledged football’s sledgehammer influence and set up its schedule (the most meaningful part anyway) to conclude before football season fully commenced. It was a stroke of brilliance, or at least a moment of recognizing the obvious.
The idea would be to get the early tour events as far away from the NFL games as possible and draw more attention to their conclusions. It’s not going to be a ratings bonanza, but the final rounds become bigger news on days when the NFL isn’t playing.
Ratings suggest it has been a mixed bag for the Farmers event during the past two years. The final round drew 2.6 million viewers on Saturday in 2022 but dipped to 2.1 million last year, approximately what the Saturday viewing numbers were in 2021 when the third round was played on Saturday. With Farmers bailing as title sponsor after 2026, it will be interesting to see what the new title wants.
The Sentry, with all of its beauty shots from Maui, had 707,000 viewers for the final two hours last Sunday on Golf Channel and 905,000 for the two-hour 4-6 p.m. EST window on NBC, according to Sports Media Watch. If you’re wondering, the Sunday night Miami-Buffalo game drew more than 21 million viewers.
There is a cadence to tournament golf, and viewers are accustomed to Sunday finishes. It’s nice for many to look in on places where the sun is shining while winter howls outside their doors. They still can do that on Fridays and Saturdays.
It might affect on-site ticket sales, but Sunday crowds are almost always smaller than Saturday galleries. In Hawaii, especially, a Tuesday-Friday format might work just as well.
In the meantime, pass the remote.
Ron Green Jr.
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TOP PHOTO: DAVID MADISON, GETTY IMAGES