Bubba Watson and Louis Oosthuizen brought the suspense late Sunday, needing a two-hole sudden death playoff to decide the 2012 Masters Champion.
Bubba Watson won, but CBS and golf lost.
The overnight ratings for yesterday’s final was an 8.1, the lowest since 2004.
Not good.
Despite the late push by multiple golfers, the ratings speak for themselves. Fans, especially casual ones, want a big name (or a familiar one) in contention late.
Tiger Woods had his worst Masters tournament ever, not posting one round under-par. Phil Mickelson slipped up early, finishing with a triple bogey on the fourth hole.
I thought CBS did a great job covering the tournament and big props to the official Masters app. I really enjoyed the ability to watch the TV broadcast, Amen Corner, two featured groups and plenty of highlights. It was flawless and well done.
Tiger always draws big audiences but it’s clear from this weekend, at the biggest golf event of the year, fans want a big name player to root for. No Woods, no Mickelson and even no Rory McIlroy equals poor ratings. Even though it was Easter Sunday, the 2012 Masters was down a staggering 22-percent from last year.