The PGA Tour wrapped up its 2026 season on Sunday, reporting a modest increase in viewership compared to the previous year. This follows a notable rebound in ratings after a significant decline in 2024. The weekend broadcasts of PGA Tour events, excluding the four major championships, averaged 2.7 million viewers across CBS and NBC.
This figure represents a 1% increase from the 2025 season average, which was 2.6 million viewers according to Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel methodology. When comparing it to the panel-only numbers from last year, the 2026 viewership marks a 17% rise from the 2.3 million average. Nielsen adopted the Big Data measurement as its standard on September 1, 2025, after the conclusion of the previous PGA Tour season.
In 2024, the average viewership for weekend coverage was reported at 1.9 million using the panel-only method, which translates to approximately 2.3 million when applying the Big Data metrics retroactively. This year, no individual player managed to secure more than three victories, with Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Chris Gotterup each winning three times. Scheffler, who had dominated the tour in previous seasons with six wins in 2025 and seven in 2024, including three major titles, did not capture a major this year but still finished as the season-long FedExCup champion with five runner-up finishes.
All four major championships experienced viewership increases this season, contributing to the overall rise in ratings for CBS and NBC. CBS reported its best season since 2009, averaging 3.43 million viewers, which is a 15% increase based on panel-only data. This includes the most-watched final round of the Masters since 2015, when nearly 14 million viewers tuned in to watch Rory McIlroy claim his second consecutive Green Jacket.
NBC's average viewership was 3.2 million when including the majors and 2.7 million without them, representing a 15% increase from 2025 based on panel-only figures. The Golf Channel also saw a rise in viewership, averaging 597,000 viewers for its PGA Tour coverage, which includes early-round broadcasts and lead-in coverage for weekend events. This marks a 7% increase compared to the previous year using Big Data metrics.
While specific figures for ESPN's weekly streaming coverage of PGA Tour Live were not available, the flagship events of the tour also registered viewership increases. The final round of the Players Championship in March averaged 4.4 million viewers on NBC, a 15% rise from the prior year. Additionally, the final round of the Tour Championship on August 30 averaged 5.37 million viewers on CBS, the highest since Tiger Woods' victory at East Lake in 2018. The PGA Tour's eight signature events, each boasting a $20 million prize, averaged 3.44 million viewers for their final rounds.
In conjunction with the viewership growth, the betting handle on PGA Tour events through the BMW Championship, the season's second-to-last event, increased by 30% compared to the previous year, while total bets placed rose by 10%. This surge in interest reflects the growing engagement and popularity of the PGA Tour among fans and bettors alike.
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