It seems that the final round of the 2023 Masters landed CBS some of the best ratings any network has received for golf content over the last five years.
The Masters always holds a special place on the yearly professional golf calendar. It is one of the most storied tournaments in the sport and serves as the first major on the schedule each year. The prestige this year was unchanged as the event garnered a lot of attention for various reasons.
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Of course, Tiger Woods taking part was a major selling point as the golf legend attempting to win a sixth green jacket will always be a notable narrative until he retires from the sport. There was also the fact that LIV Golfers were allowed to compete against their rivals in the PGA Tour. Plus, the weather and a nearly fatal accident in Round 2 were a source of headline fodder last week as well.
However, the final round of the 2023 Masters seemed to grab the attention of golf and sports fans, and this proved to be true with the reported rating numbers CBS received this weekend. On Tuesday, Bar Stool Sports golf reporter Dan Rapaport revealed that CBS claimed the last round of action at the event “was the most-watched golf telecast on any network in five years, averaging 12.058 million viewers.”
The final round of the Masters — which is often the most watched — for 2023 had a great deal of intrigue as LIV player Brooks Koepka led by as many as four shots before he was overtaken by PGA star Jon Rahm. The win was Rahm’s second major title — after winning the US Open in 2021 — and netted him a payday that was a record for the event.
The rating is more than double what the final rounds received in 2021 (5.5) and 2022 (5.8). It is also the best number the event has seen for the finale since the 2001 Masters scored a 12.9 average for the final round (via Statista).