RYDER CUP:
Golf Channel on NBC presented more than 17 hours of Ryder Cup coverage from Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Ill., over the weekend, and drew ratings the event hasn’t seen since in 13 years.
Yesterday’s final round, which saw the European team come back from a 10-6 deficit to retain the Ryder Cup by defeating the U.S. team, 14½ -13½, had the best overnight rating (4.1/9, Noon-6:30 p.m. ET) for the final round of the event in 13 years, since the U.S. team’s stirring comeback to defeat the Europeans and win the Ryder Cup in Brookline, Mass., in 1999 (6.3/15).
The 4.1/9 overnight rating/share for yesterday’s final round is 71% higher than the last Ryder Cup (2.4/7 in 2010 from Newport, Wales), and 21% higher than the last Ryder Cup contested in the U.S. (3.4/7 from Louisville, Ky., in 2008).
RYDER CUP FINAL ROUND SINCE 1999:
| 2012 4.1/9, Medinah, Ill. |
| 2010 2.4/7, Newport, Wales |
| 2008 3.4/7, Louisville, Ky. |
| 2006 2.7/8, Kildare, Ireland |
| 2004 3.4/7, Detroit, Mich. |
| 2002 3.9/12, Blefry, England |
| 1999 6.3/15, Brookline, Mass. |
TOP 10 MARKETS FOR RYDER CUP FINAL ROUND:
| 1. West Palm Beach | 8.1/16 |
| 2. Ft. Myers | 7.6/15 |
| 3. Greensboro | 6.8/13 |
| 4. Louisville | 6.6/13 |
| 5. Chicago | 6.5/15 |
| 6. Greenville/Spartenburg | 6.4/11 |
| 7. Detroit | 6.0/11 |
| 8. Richmond | 5.8/10 |
| T9. Columbus | 5.4/11 |
| T9. Knoxville | 5.4/10 |
Saturday’s Ryder Cup coverage (9 a.m – 7:45 p.m.) drew a 3.2/8, up 52% from 2010 (2.1/6), up 14% from 2008, and tied 2006 as the best second day for Ryder Cup since 2004 (3.9/9 from Detroit).
Information courtesy NBC Sports
