This Week In Golf Channel Ratings: Whoa LPGA!

Typical PGA Tour fan that I am, the eyes went straight to the numbers for the Farmers Insurance Open. And while they were robust, accounting for four of the top ten Golf Channel airings for the week of January 20-26.

But check out the big weekend numbers for two Golf Central Pregames transitioning from PGA Tour coverage to the LPGA Tour and how the LPGA Tour held a very robust audience (and obliterated the European Tour numbers). The final round of the Pure Silk-Bahamas drew a .3 and averaged 413,000 viewers.

As always, Son of the Bronx posts the numbers, which are topped by Saturday's pre-network Farmers coverage sporting a .5 and 760,000 average viewership, while Friday's Farmers coverage with Phil on the South Course also pulled a .5 and averaged nearly the same size audience over a four-hour window.

The later weekend Morning Drives also drew some eye-opening audiences by weekend morning TV standards, with Saturday drawing a .1/170,000 average (21st) and Sunday a .1, 155,000 average (22nd). My Monday morning appearances have yet to spike the numbers...yet.

The one head scratcher for the week: weak numbers for Feherty's two live shows on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. I say head-scratcher because after Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, there is no more beloved celebrity at a PGA Tour site than David Feherty and nearly all yell out, "love the show."

Not, "love the salt and pepper goatee," or " love the on-course reporting." It's frightening how many people at least claim to watch the show.

Yet according to the Nielsen numbers, Tuesday's Feherty Live drew a .1 and 108,000 viewers, placing 28th for the week. Wednesday's placed 37th and averaged 85,000 viewers.

For the week, Golf Channel averaged 157,000 in primetime, 133,000 overall, down from a year ago (238,000/165,000).