TV Ratings Climb Again With Tiger’s NEC Win

Television resumed its love affair with Tiger Woods when overnight ratings for Sunday’s NEC Invitational earned a 7.1 rating and 16 share. The ratings peaked at 11.3 and a 22 share in the last half-hour of the taped telecast on CBS of Woods’ seven-hole playoff victory over Jim Furyk.

Last week’s PGA Championship, also on CBS, earned only a 6.4 rating with Woods out of contention.

The playoff portion of the NEC Invitational, one of four $5-million World Golf Championship events on the PGA Tour, earned a 10.1 rating and a 21 share.

Because of the threat of bad weather, Sunday’s fourth round was tape delayed, beginning at 11 a.m. PDT, although actual play had begun about 61/2 hours earlier. When CBS began its telecast, Woods and Furyk were already in the playoff.

The network informed viewers that the coverage was taped. It could not have shown the golf live because it was scheduled for the 2-6 p.m. EDT slot. As it was, CBS wound up extending its broadcast an hour.

“With the Internet and everything else, people knew about Tiger,” CBS spokeswoman Robin Brendle said. “And they still watched, because they wanted to hear the entire story.”