McIlroy’s Masters TV Surge

Rory McIlroy’s Masters win drew nearly 14 million viewers on CBS, the tournament’s biggest final-round television audience since 2015. (sports.yahoo.com) CBS said the April 12 broadcast averaged 13.995 million viewers and peaked at 20.049 million from 7 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. Eastern, when McIlroy closed out a one-shot win at Augusta National. (golfweek.usatoday.com) The network’s audience was up 8% from 2025, when McIlroy won his first green jacket, and it was the most-watched Masters Sunday since Jordan Spieth’s victory drew 14.0 million viewers in 2015. (sportsmediawatch.com) McIlroy shot 71 and finished at 12-under 276, one stroke ahead of Scottie Scheffler after a final round in which four players held at least a share of the lead. Augusta National said Justin Rose, Cameron Young, Tyrrell Hatton and Russell Henley tied for third at 10-under. (masters.com) The result put McIlroy in a smaller club at Augusta. He became the fourth player to win back-to-back Masters titles, joining Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods. (nbcnews.com) The ratings spike followed a finish that stayed unsettled deep into the back nine, the kind of close Sunday that usually lifts golf audiences more than a runaway does. Sports Media Watch said the 7.0 household rating was the highest for a Masters final round since Patrick Reed’s win in 2018. (sportsmediawatch.com) CBS has carried the Masters for decades, and the tournament remains one of the few golf events that still delivers mass live television audiences in the United States. Front Office Sports said this year’s final round gave CBS its best Masters Sunday audience in 11 years. (frontofficesports.com) McIlroy’s finish also gave the broadcast a familiar star at the center of the sport’s first men’s major of the year. Yahoo Sports said images of his celebration dominated post-tournament coverage after the network posted its audience figures on April 14. (sports.yahoo.com) For CBS and Augusta National, the number that stands out is simple: a Sunday window that averaged 13.995 million viewers and briefly topped 20 million as McIlroy won again. (golfweek.usatoday.com)