Golf: Woods and Mickelson charity match proves a ratings hit

(Reuters) - The coronavirus relief golf match featuring Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning was a TV ratings hit, WarnerMedia’s Turner Sports said on Monday.

Turner Sports said sports-starved fans turned up in droves as Sunday’s telecast of the sanctioned PGA Tour event on the nation’s Memorial Day holiday weekend attracted an average of 5.8 million viewers across four of its networks.

According to Turner Sports, the charity match which raised more than $20 million for COVID-19 relief, was the most-watched golf telecast in the history of cable television.

In the match, 15-times major champion Woods and twice Super Bowl champion Manning held off a late challenge to beat five-times major winner Mickelson and six-times Super Bowl winner Brady one up at Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida.

The golfers played fourballs on the front nine and a modified alternate shot format on the back nine, where each competitor teed off and then the team played alternate shot from the selected drive.

The PGA Tour, which shut down its season in mid-March because of COVID-19, is scheduled to resume action with the June 11-14 Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas, without fans present.