Rory McIlroy’s win at The Masters outdraws Tiger Woods’ 2019 win in TV ratings

A historic day for Rory McIlroy at The Masters turned out to be a pretty big win for CBS Sports. The TV ratings were through the roof.

CBS reported Monday that the final round of The Masters this year was the most watched golf telecast on any network in the last seven years. It averaged 12.707 million viewers, up 33% year over year.

It also means that the final round drew more coverage than even Tiger Woods‘ memorable win in 2019. That’s a remarkably impressive feat, given how much Woods moves the needle when he’s in contention.

Coverage for the final round of The Masters peaked at 19.543 million viewers in the 7:00 to 7:15 p.m. ET window. That was when McIlroy was pushed to a playoff after he missed a late par putt on the 18th hole, sending him into sudden death against Justin Rose.

In addition to the golf action, Paramount+ recorded its largest non-NFL sports day ever. The Masters was the most streamed golf event ever for the streaming service, with triple-digit viewership growth year over year, per CBS.

Rory McIlroy closes out The Masters

The drama doesn’t get much more thick than what unfolded at The Masters over the weekend. Rory McIlroy finally completed his career grand slam, but not until after a lengthy roller-coaster ride of emotions.

McIlroy was in position to close out the tournament multiple times. He had a four-stroke lead midway through his round, but he watched it slip away in a hurry after putting a ball into the creek on the 13th for a double-bogey.

Even then, he rebounded expertly. Rory McIlroy dropped a dime into the green on the 15th for an eventual birdie, stabilizing himself and putting himself in the driver’s seat going into the final stretch.

He could have iced it at the 18th, needing only a par to get into the clubhouse a stroke ahead of Justin Rose. Alas.

Rory McIlroy missed a par putt on the 18th, sending The Masters to a sudden-death playoff with Rose. But the Irishman would not back down.

He quickly regathered himself and played the first playoff hole to near perfection. That was all she wrote, as McIlroy closed out Rose for the win. It gave McIlroy the career grand slam, making him only the sixth golfer in the sport’s history to capture all four majors.

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