As Augusta National Continues to Reinvent Itself, Masters Weekends on CBS Remain a Constant
As if to make up for the 75 years it spent stubbornly clinging to its old-world roots, Augusta National has become a bustling port of modernization over the last decade. Led by the vision of former chairman Billy Payne (2006–17) and his successor, Fred Ridley, a membership commonly characterized as a bunch of granddads in green jackets has done a commendable job of acclimating to the 21st century.
From the inclusion of female members (2012) and the introduction of a Masters ticket lottery that same year, the Drive, Chip & Putt competition for juniors (’13) and the inception of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur in ’19, Payne and Ridley basically bartered a portion of the club’s mystique for civic viability. Public interest has never been an issue in regard to the year’s first major, which annually draws a larger television audience than any other golf tournament.
Public approval? Payne was keen to the notion that you can never get enough of it. And so ANGC continues to open its doors a little wider over time—ESPN’s coverage of Wednesday’s Par 3 Contest will last five hours, the first three via streaming, all of which promise an overdose of cute little kids in white boilers pulling pins for their tour-pro dads, none of whom really want to win the jinx-laden prelim, anyway.
When the main event does begin, the golf will become all that matters. ESPN owns the same amount of “official” airtime (nine hours) as CBS, which holds exclusive rights to the weekend action for a 68th consecutive year. The usual slew of internet viewing options will be available on ESPN+ and Masters.com over the first two days, but once the cut is made, CBS has the stage all to itself.
It’s a constant worth noting, given the club’s recent commitment to illuminating its image and appealing to the broadest audience possible.
As pointed out here last week, the tournament’s Sunday ratings have dipped significantly since 2020, when COVID-19 pushed the Masters to November and the final round attracted a modern-era low of 5.64 million (3.8 rating). Even when Tiger Woods rallied to win for a fifth time in ’19, viewership was down 2.2 million from Patrick Reed’s victory a year earlier—a gap any network would blame on the early start in ’19 due to oncoming weather.
What can’t be explained, however, is why 2010 is the only Masters to achieve a double-digit rating since Woods completed the Tiger Slam in ’05. Phil Mickelson’s third title at Augusta National (10.7) almost doubled the 5.8 that emerged from last year’s final round. Yes, more people watch sporting events on streaming devices nowadays than they did five or 10 years ago, but that factor doesn’t come close to covering the 6.5 million difference in viewers between ’10 and ’22.
In response to the substandard data, CBS issued a press release saying the 2022 Masters was watched by more people on its streaming platforms than any tournament ever—but failed to provide numbers supporting the claim. Some dedicated publications say streaming totals aren’t included in the TV rating; others suggest they are. Either way, a lot fewer people are watching live golf than they once did.
Is that a big deal? Certainly not to the general populace, but it has to matter to those at the high end of the television industry. It’s a business top-heavy with smart folks who make good money and are eminently capable of making the numbers say anything, which is one reason why they make good money. As for CBS, it has become fairly obvious that it rises to the occasion on the second week in April. After a busy early-season schedule featuring two-dozen hollow superlatives for every syllable of insight, the Eye’s on-air voices return from their six-week break to provide steady, relevant perspective.
This might be the only week all year when CBS truly misses the presence of Nick Faldo, whose grasp on Masters pressure and intricate observations on shotmaking at Augusta National served as a welcome departure from the sidetracked Sir Nick of mid-summer. Trevor Immelman has gotten off to a decent start in his new seat next to Jim Nantz, in part because no honest viewer could have expected much to begin with. He’s another handsome guy with a sunny disposition and limited brazen intellect.
Maybe Trevor is revving his analytical engine for the year’s biggest tournament—the year’s largest audience, even if it isn’t what it used to be. Maybe Augusta National’s membership renews its partnership with CBS over and over because it hears nothing but safe, standard-issue commentary amid the dazzling visuals provided by third-year lead producer Sellers Shy and his crew. No unfiltered criticism, no bikini wax, no casualty of the par-5 15th declared dead on departure.
The granddads in green jackets prefer that the golf do the talking. No club chairman will ever disagree.