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The 2025 Masters will live long in the memory – possibly going down as one of the best ever – thanks to Rory McIlroy’s dramatic playoff victory over Team Europe Ryder Cup peer, Justin Rose in the golden hour at Augusta National.
Ideal weather and Hollywood-style action gave patrons on the ground and fans watching at home the perfect stage to lock in and enjoy unmatched sporting drama. The players delivered, and the TV ratings reflected that.
According to CBS, the final round of The Masters produced an average of 12.7 million viewers throughout – up a third from Scottie Scheffler’s second triumph in 2024 – with an astonishing peak of 19.54 million between 7pm and 7:15pm EDT for McIlroy’s crowning moment.
The broadcaster ultimately reported that Sunday’s final round was the most-watched golf telecast on any network since 2018 when Patrick Reed held on to defeat Rickie Fowler by a stroke, even surpassing Tiger Woods‘ incredible comeback win the following year.
Woods’ fifth Green Jacket would likely have surpassed Reed’s triumph, though, if it had not been moved up several hours to avoid inclement weather which was expected to arrive later on that day.
There was no such movement for McIlroy’s march to the career Grand Slam, however, which helped streaming platform Paramount+ notch the largest non-NFL-game audience ever. The Masters final round was also, unsurprisingly, the most-streamed golf event ever on Paramount+ following its launch in March 2021.
The success of McIlroy’s victory was not just felt in the US, either, with UK-based Sky Sports reporting it’s most-watched day ever.
Helped by the popularity of other sporting events such as Liverpool versus West Ham United and Newcastle United versus Manchester United in the English Premier League, high-profile UK and European soccer matches, plus F1’s Bahrain Grand Prix, the collection of sporting channels accumulated 7.5 million viewers in total.
The first men’s Major of the year helped attract a peak audience of 1.85 million on Sky Sports, which equated to 37% of total TV viewership.
Sky Sports managing director, Jonathan Licht, said: “Sunday was a day of unforgettable sporting drama, and a proud day for Sky Sports, as the live action had fans gripped from the morning into the early hours.
“From Rory’s historic win at Augusta to an exciting Bahrain Grand Prix and a packed schedule of football, cricket and tennis – it was a day that had it all. These record-breaking numbers are a testament to the incredible teams who work tirelessly behind the scenes to bring unmissable moments to life and showcase the very best in sport across the world.”
Given McIlroy is one of the most popular golfers on the planet, the aforementioned numbers are hardly a surprise. The five-time Major winner helped bring in an average of 3.6 million during his Players Championship success last month – an increase on the year before – and 3.3 million for his win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am a few weeks prior.
Rory McIlroy poses with the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am trophy
The 35-year-old’s final round at Pebble Beach was watched by the highest average number of fans since 2021 – an impressive feat given the past couple of years have generally seen an overall decline in golf-telecast figures.
Higher TV ratings when McIlroy is involved is nothing new, either, with 2024 producing a couple of separate examples of the Northern Irishman’s role as golf’s most impactful personality.
McIlroy and Shane Lowry’s victory at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans provided a 26% improvement over the final round of the 2023 event. And the former’s success at the Wells Fargo Championship – his third – was a significant 34% up over Wyndham Clark’s win 12 months earlier, despite McIlroy’s run to the line containing far less drama than his Masters tilt.
