LOS ANGELES (AP) - This year’s U.S. Open was the most watched since Fox started televising the event in 2015.
Nielsen ratings show Sunday’s final round averaged 7.31 million viewers and peaked at 10.17 viewers from 9:15 to 9:30 p.m. EDT, when Gary Woodland clinched his first major.
Sunday’s final round saw an increase of 44% over last year, when an average of 5.09 million watched. It is the first time since 2013 that the final round has averaged over seven million. The 2013 U.S. Open on NBC averaged 8.4 million for the final 18 holes.
The four rounds on Fox and FS1 averaged 3.67 million viewers, which is a 28% increase over last year (2.86 million).
The first round on Thursday, which went into prime time because this year’s tournament was on the West Coast at Pebble Beach, averaged 3.47 million, the best first round since 2002.
West Palm Beach, Florida, was the top-rated market for Sunday’s final round (8.4), while Kansas City, which is Woodland’s hometown, had a 7.8 rating.
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