Superstars, Uncertainty of Outcome, and PGA Tour Television Ratings
Published online on April 21, 2016
Abstract
Using 2010–2013 television ratings data for 33 Professional Golfers’ Association Tour events, this article analyzes determinants of audience size. Only one of six measures of uncertainty of outcome based on the leader’s margin or the number of golfers within five strokes of the leader is found to be positively correlated with ratings. Instead, ratings are strongly related to certain tournaments, particularly The Masters and the U.S. Open, and to the presence of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Ratings are found to increase by about 50% if Woods is in contention.