CBS sees strongest PGA Tour viewership since 2006

CBS is reporting its strongest PGA Tour viewership since 2006, as golf viewership continues to be strong across multiple networks in 2026.

So far this year, PGA Tour telecasts on CBS are averaging 3.50 million viewers, which is the network’s best figure at this point in the season in 20 years.

The final round of the 3M Championship on Sunday averaged 3.71 million viewers. According to CBS, that is up 100% from 2025, and it was the most-watched sports telecast last week. Viewership peaked at 4.87 million viewers. Third-round coverage on Saturday averaged 2.04 million viewers.

CBS Sports continues its best golf season in 20 years with the most-watched @3MOpen on record: pic.twitter.com/UwOArRe5UV

— CBS Sports PR (@CBSSportsGang) July 28, 2026

Comparisons to previous years are skewed because of Nielsen’s shift to its new Big Data + Panel methodology in September 2025. That shift has generally boosted sports viewership, sometimes by as much as 10% to 15%.

Across multiple networks, golf has consistently seen strong viewership. The final round of the Travelers Championship, despite a rain delay, averaged 4.2 million viewers, which was the largest figure for the event since 2002. The championship even outdrew a Yankees-Red Sox game, which was bumped from NBC due to the rain delay.

The U.S. Open saw similarly strong viewership. The final round of that tournament averaged 5.5 million viewers, the second-most-watched U.S. Open played on the East Coast since 2013.

Back on CBS, the final round of the PGA Championship in May averaged 5.76 million viewers, the highest since 2021.

All of those increases certainly benefited from Big Data, but they are up enough that it is unlikely Nielsen’s methodology changes are the full explanation.

Golf may not be the center of popular sports culture, but it is still showing its value in 2026 with strong viewership across the board.