The final round of the PGA Championship witnessed an unprecedented boost in terms of viewership on television as the fans turned up in huge numbers to watch the exciting conclusion of the tournament, with Aaron Rai at the front of it all.

The most recent broadcast of the final round of the PGA Championship is the most-watched program in the past five years, as stated by CBS Sports, marking a major milestone for the sport. Such viewership numbers bode well for the future of the sport. The network shared the massive milestone on X

"CBS Sports delivered the most-watched final round of the PGA Championship in five years, and coverage peaked with more than 8 million viewers."

On average, 5.764 million viewers were watching the final round of the tournament, a 21% rise in viewership compared to the previous year's game.

The telecast peaked at 8.019 million viewers due to the excitement generated by the tournament's closing rounds.

During the hour-long period between 5:45 and 6:45 P.M. ET, the average viewership was 7.826 million viewers, and the peak happened when Aaron Rai finished the round to win his first-ever major.

Aaron Rai Fuels Historic Viewership Surge 

The massive increase in the TV ratings was entirely attributed to Aaron Rai's electrifying performance in the latter stages of the tournament. Starting the final round trailing the leaders by two shots, Rai put up a tremendous showing on the back nine.

The English golfer scored an incredible 5-under 65 in the last round, ending the tournament with a total score of 9-under 271. The accuracy in his game helped him beat second-place Jon Rahm by three shots.

The historic triumph marked Rai's first major championship victory. He also became the first English player to secure the Wanamaker Trophy since Jim Barnes in 1919.

This incredible feat on the course went hand-in-hand with the impressive broadcast numbers across multiple platforms. Streaming platforms also played their part in Rai's success, as Paramount+ recorded the most-streamed final round of the PGA Championship.

The platform reported a significant increase of 56% in average minute audience compared to the previous year. The late drama effectively captured significant interest among streaming audiences.

Overall, golf on CBS is seeing an average of 4.150 million viewers this year. This marks the best viewership number on a network since 2015.

Do you think performances like Aaron Rai's will help boost the visibility of the golf scene? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Abhishek Sharma

Edited by

Surjo Ray