The Masters TV Ratings Hit Five-Year High For Final Round With Over 16.2 Million Viewers

While the final round of the 2023 Masters turned out to be anticlimactic down the stretch with Jon Rahm winning by four shots, that doesn't mean people didn't tune in.

The coverage started early Sunday with many players in the field having to finish their third round because of a weather delay, and golf fans relished the day filled of coverage from Augusta National.

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According to CBS Sports, Sunday coverage of this year's Masters was up 19% over last year with 16.251 million combined viewers to watch the conclusion of the third round and the final 18 holes. This makes the 2023 Masters final round the most-watched golf telecast on any network in five years.

The viewership for the final round peaked with over 15 million viewers from 7-7:15 PM ET to watch Rahm officially win the green jacket.

The Masters TV Ratings Were Huge

These numbers are surprising given that Rahm essentially sealed the win on the 13th hole by making birdie and extending his lead to three shots with just five holes to play.

Phil Mickelson carding a final round 65 to finish in a tie for second certainly didn't hurt CBS' viewership numbers as golf fans were inclined to tune in to watch lefty dominate Augusta National.

It was the second straight year that the final few holes of The Masters didn't present any drama, but nevertheless, golf fans tune in to watch the conclusion of the year's first major no matter what, and these numbers prove that.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and all other happenings in the world of golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.