CBS Sports: 2022 Masters Up 7%, Most Watched Golf Telecast In Three Years

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Tiger Woods gave early round coverage a boost but a pair of weekend 78’s made him only a small part of CBS’s coverage. Couple that with a three stroke lead by Scheffler, no major stars expected to contend Sunday and lackluster ratings all year, and CBS must be thrilled with these numbers.

They’re also declaring record streaming numbers but there are no numbers released…

CBS SPORTS’ 2022 MASTERS COVERAGE SCORES ACROSS ALL PLATFORMS 

CBS’ Final-Round Presentation Delivers Most-Watched Golf Telecast on Any Network in Three Years 

Paramount+ and CBS Sports Produce Record-Setting Streaming for Golf

 April 12, 2022 – CBS Sports delivered strong viewership across all platforms for its presentation of the 2022 Masters.

Sunday’s final-round coverage on CBS is the most-watched golf telecast on any network since the final round of the 2019 Masters, when Tiger Woods captured his fifth green jacket, averaging10.173 million viewers and up +7% versus last year.

With Scottie Scheffler comfortably ahead of the competition for most of the day, Sunday’s coverage averaged 12.443 million viewers for the final hour (6:00-7:00 PM, ET) as Scheffler wrapped up his first major victory. Viewership peaked with 13.160 million viewers for the conclusion of Scheffler’s round (6:45-7:00 PM, ET).

Paramount+ and CBS Sports’ digital properties registered record-setting streaming for golf. Overall, the 2022 Masters is Paramount+ and CBS Sports’ most-streamed golf tournament ever in average minute audience and streaming minutes, producing double-digit year-over-year growth.

Sunday’s final round delivered the most-streamed golf day ever for Paramount+ and CBS Sports in average minute audience and streaming minutes while recording double-digit year-over-year growth.

ESPN released preliminary numbers Friday, with a nice Tiger-fueled boost for round two that only got bigger:

The average of 3.5 million viewers was up from the 2.7 million average for last year’s second round and was ESPN’s highest second-round average since 2018. The Friday telecast also drew an audience that was up 26 percent from the average of 2.8 million that watched Thursday’s first round. Fast Nationals are preliminary and do not include out of home or streaming audiences on computers and mobile devices.

Across the first and second rounds, ESPN’s telecasts averaged 3.3 million viewers, up 31 percent from 2021 and the highest two-day average since 2018.

That final number has since been updated to 3.9 million to include Out of Home and streaming. Also, SportsCenter at the Masters from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Friday averaged 711,000 viewers, including 1.223 million for the last hour before coverage.

Committee Has Reviewed Scheffler's 18th Hole Drop: No Issues

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Third round Masters leader Scottie Scheffler took an unplayable lie relief and one shot penalty Saturday en route to a 71. He leads by three heading into the final round.

Several social media users took issue parts of the seven-minute drop situation, including what ball Scheffler was using and what was found, the two-club length relief and his clearing of some pine needles. A club spokesman confirmed that the Rules Committee has reviewed the drop and has no concerns with how it was handled by Scheffler or official Kevin Feeney of the DP World Tour.

After reviewing the Featured Group coverage and screen grabs of the ball resting under the Holly, the number looks like a 6 and a 7 depending on when the video is paused and the quality of the video.

But one things is clear: Scheffler calls out to the forecaddies to be looking for a Titleist 7. The forecaddie is heard definitively calling out that he has located a Titleist 7

Also of concern to several viewers was Scheffler’s two-club length drop. Note in this first image the ball and referee Feeney pointing to a spot away from the ball:

Image two shows Scheffler taking the first of two club lengths from the spot, however as the third image shows, the butt end of the club, discernible in the leaves and pine needles, is not at the ball. The Rules of Golf say two club lengths from the ball, but Scheffler clearly is seen following the guidance of the official who was likely given the closest approximation possible due to the extensive undergrowth.

Your 2022 Masters Early Viewing Guide With Amen Corner Live Here Again

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There is not much excuse for missing out on the Masters, and unlike the forthcoming shuffle from NBC at the U.S. Open and The Open, American viewers can take their pick of streaming apps for early coverage before ESPN carries the first two rounds.

I can’t recommend Masters on the Range highly enough, as the team does a super job mixing observation, interviews and instruction from the range equipped with launch monitors and other fun stuff.

Amen Corner Live coverage with Grant Boone and Mark Immelman always is must-see streaming with coverage starting when the first group arrives (probably around 10:30-10:45 am ET.

You can get all of the Masters feeds at the official site as well as at ESPN+.

Here is ESPN’s coverage summary:

First and Second Round Live Television Coverage

·       ESPN and ESPN Deportes live 3-7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, April 7-8.

·       Scott Van Pelt will host ESPN’s telecasts from Augusta National’s Butler Cabin with ESPN golf analyst Curtis Strange. Van Pelt, Strange and Michael Eaves, who will conduct player interviews, will join CBS’ golf announcer crew for the telecasts.

·       Prime time encore presentations of the first and second rounds with second encores in overnight hours.

·       John Sutcliffe will call the action for the ESPN Deportes live telecasts with analysts Hernán Rey and Matias Anselmo.

Quadrilateral Masters Wednesday: Chairman Ridley Speaks

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The weekly free Quad is here and I’ve got State of the Masters press conference highlights and analysis, including Fred Ridley’s surprising detail on Phil Mickelson, tepid women member admittance policies in the past, and course alteration talk…galore.

Plus, a windy forecast, quotes, Champions Dinner highlights, Picks and Reads.

The Masters is here! Celebrate by signing up free!

Tom Watson Joins The Masters Honorary Starters

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Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson at the 2022 Masters (The Masters)

It wasn’t the prettiest morning but the privilege remained as Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and newcomer Tom Watson kicked off the 2022 Masters.

First, Player’s introduction by Fred Ridley and shot :

And Jack Nicklaus:

Watson gave an impromptu speech as only he can to show his gratitude in joining the festivities.

The group held court in the media center after and I’ll have a full roundup in the Quadrilateral.

"Augusta caddies used to rule the grounds at the Masters. Then the rain came in 1982"

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The Augusta Chronicle’s Doug Stutsman filed a sensational read on how the tradition of club caddies ended in the early 1980s, with fantastic anecdotes from several former champions, caddies and contenders. The Hord Hardin Society migth not be so thrilled but Clifford Roberts comes off well.

Carve out a few minutes for this one.

A teaser:

Forty years later, few original Augusta National caddies are still living. Stovepipe, Pappy, Fireball, Eight-Ball, Iron Man, Cemetery and Willie Peterson are all deceased. Bussey suffered a stroke during the COVID pandemic and is confined to a Richmond County care facility. Yet a handful remain active and healthy, and have an unwavering opinion of 1982. 

Jariah "Jerry" Beard, who piggybacked Masters rookie Fuzzy Zoeller to the 1979 jacket, spends his days slapping balls at Augusta Municipal. The local kid worked his first Masters in 1957 and said the majority of caddies relied on two annual events to pay bills: Masters Week and The Jamboree, a three day member-member bash held each March.  

“The club is closed all summer, so caddies depended on those events to make ends meet,” Beard said. “Clifford Roberts always had our back. Mr. Roberts made sure we were taken care of. But when Hord Hardin took over, he turned his back on us real bad.”  

Quadrilateral: Tuesday From The Masters: Tiger Makes It Official

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Groupings were announced on a soggy Tuesday in Augusta and evaluated.

Plus, quotes galore, player insights into the course changes (with photos!) and more in the latest edition.

The Quad’s homepage on Substack.

The Quad’s explanation page and website.

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Survey Says: Tiger's 1997 Win Still The Best In The Eyes Of His Peers

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While hardly scientific, that’s not the important takeaway from Doug Ferguson’s survey of professional golfers. He asked them to rank the best of Tiger’s wins.

It’s a good reminder of how dramatic each of his victories here have been and how much time separated numbers four and five.

Equally remarkable, if not more, was his fifth green jacket in 2019 after Woods returned from four surgeries on a lower back — the last one to fuse his spine — in such bad shape that he feared he might never be able to play again.

In between was his most historic Masters victory — the Tiger Slam — when Woods made it a clean sweep of the four professional majors in a span of 294 days. The feat remains his alone.