Although the opening round of the 2025 Masters on Thursday attracted significant viewership, the numbers were lower than in 2024, largely due to Tiger Woods’ absence. Michael McCarthy from Front Office Sports highlighted these differences, stating, “Without Woods in the field, ESPN’s coverage averaged 2.3 million viewers (including out-of-home viewers) Thursday.” McCarthy wrote. “That’s a 28% drop from the 3.2 million viewers for last year’s first round when Woods was in action, as his presence in 2024 generated the highest first-round viewership since 2015.” He also observed a similar trend between 2022 and 2023, noting, “Thursday’s first-round viewership mirrored the Tiger Woods Effect on TV ratings. In 2022, when Woods played in the afternoon, the first round drew 2.8 million viewers, but when he started in the morning in 2023, outside the ESPN coverage window, the audience fell 11% to 2.5 million.”
Though Woods may not be at the peak of his career—his last victory was at the Zozo Championship in October 2019—he remains the sport’s primary draw, a fact undeniable even by his staunchest critics who can’t dismiss his impact. Despite the decline in viewership compared to last year, McCarthy pointed out that “ESPN’s live coverage Thursday was the most-watched sports program for the day across all broadcast and cable TV networks.” With Woods absent, prominent players such as Justin Rose, Bryson DeChambeau, Rory McIlroy, and Scottie Scheffler are in contention as the tournament heads into the final two rounds.
