Tour Offers Nuanced, Long-Winded Reaction To Players Ratings Drop

Garry Smits writes:

The Tour, with 77 international players representing 21 countries, embraces the diversity of winners. However, overnight TV ratings indicate that American viewers want Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson in the mix, which didn't happen Sunday. The final round on NBC had a 3.3 overnight rating, down 20 percent from 2009 when Woods was in the final twosome. The overnight ratings for the third round Saturday were 2.5, down from 2.8 the year before.

However, the overall ratings for four Players Championships in May for NBC remain up slightly than the last four years in March. Also, overseas ratings, with Clark, Allenby and Westwood playing throughout the weekend, are likely to be up.

When asked if he had any reaction to the lower ratings, PGA Tour executive vice president for communications Ty Votaw replied, "No."