PGA Ratings Drop

The good news for golf is that almost anybody can win. That’s also the bad news.

With Tiger Woods out of contention at the PGA Championship Sunday, CBS managed only a 4.8 overnight rating with an 11 share.

That’s a 40% decline from overnights of 8.0/17 last year, when Rich Beem beat Woods by one shot.

Saturday’s third round drew a 4.1/10, down 27% from last year’s 5.6/13. Because of the power blackout that hit much of the Northeast, Saturday ratings for New York, Cleveland and Detroit were not included.

By comparison, the X Games on ABC Sunday from 7 to 9 p.m. drew an overnight of 2.6/5, down from a 2.8/5 last year.

An overnight rating/share is derived from the nation’s 55 largest markets. National numbers will be available later in the week.

A rating is the percentage of all television households, a share is for only households where television is being watched.

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-- Larry Stewart

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Nevada Las Vegas’ Ryan Moore shot a five-under-par 65 to take the lead after the first 18 holes of stroke play in the U.S. Amateur at Pittsburgh Field Club in Oakmont, Pa. The 312-man field will be reduced to 64 for match play Wednesday, following today’s final round of stroke play.

UCLA’s Steve Conway shot one-under 69 at the tournament’s other course, Oakmont Country Club. Conway was one of two players to break par at Oakmont.

At the Field Club, Long Beach’s Travis Johnson and Peter Tomasulo each shot two-under 68s and Chris Botsford of Pasadena and Don DuBois of Newport Beach each shot 69.

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Jack Nicklaus took experience over major championships, selecting Jay Haas and Fred Funk to fill out his U.S. team that will try to retain the Presidents Cup in November at South Africa.

International team captain Gary Player used his two picks on K.J. Choi of South Korea and Tim Clark of South Africa, who was tied for the lead at the PGA Championship on Sunday before finishing third.