Rory McIlroy Masters Win Delivers Bigger Audience Than Tiger Woods' 2019 Victory

Rory McIlroy finally won the Masters to complete the career Grand Slam in his 11th attempt. It was the biggest win at Augusta National since Tiger Woods won his fifth green jacket in 2019. And, at least according to TV ratings, it was even bigger than Woods' tournament victory. 

While the first and second rounds suffered from the lack of Tiger Woods, the final round certainly didn't. According to CBS, the final round averaged 12.7 million viewers and peaked at 19.5 million viewers during the playoff between McIlroy and Justin Rose. 

Now, there's a very important caveat here. The 2019 final round started early, with Woods teeing off at 9:20 a.m. ET, because thunderstorms were forecast to hit Augusta in the afternoon. Players went off both the front and back nine in groups of threes, rather than the traditional duos off the first tee only. Woods ultimately made the Masters-winning putt at 2:30 p.m. ET, not exactly the best time for peak viewership. 

But on Sunday, there were no weather issues, leading to McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau – the man in second heading into the fourth round – starting their day at the more traditional 2:40 p.m. ET. While DeChambeau faded on the front nine and took himself out of contention, McIlroy had several slip-ups on the back nine, which led to the dramatic finish between Rose – who shot a 66 – and McIlroy. 

The 2025 Masters Tournament, which featured Rory McIlroy winning to complete the career grand slam, delivered a larger audience than when Tiger Woods won the tournament in 2019.

(Imagn Images/USA Today Network)

Ultimately, McIlroy made a bogey on the 18th hole around 7 p.m., which sent him into the playoff with Rose, who finished a few groups before McIlroy and DeChambeau. After a brief stoppage to get the players back to the 18th tee, the playoff commenced. 

McIlroy defeated Rose on the first playoff hole and made up for his bogey on 18 during regulation by sinking a birdie putt on the 18th green in the playoff to win the Masters. 

One of the biggest questions facing golf has been whether the sport can draw massive audiences without Tiger Woods. Woods suffered a torn Achilles and couldn't compete in this year's Masters. But it didn't seem to matter, with the 2025 version having big storylines heading into Sunday. 

Now the question becomes whether the PGA Tour can carry the momentum into the other three majors this summer. We'll get our first answer next month at the PGA Championship.