The 2024 Zurich Classic looked great on TV. The final numbers say it was even better
Thanks to great weather and a star-studded leaderboard headlined by eventual champions Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, the 2024 Zurich Classic exceeded expectations of tournament officials in every way, The 2024 Zurich Classic exceeded expectations in several key areas, including television ratings and an unofficial attendance record. The event, operated by Steve Worthy, the Fore!Kids Foundation, set a four-day total of more than 116,000 attendees, and over 36,000 for the third round. The record numbers are expected to lead to a donation of over $3 million to regional children’s charities. The final round of the Zurich Classic, won by Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, was the most-watched final round for the event since 2021 and the second-best since 2015. Television ratings also increased, with the CBS broadcast of the final round drawing over 1.85 million, an increase of 26 percent from the previous year. The response from fans, vendors, and sponsors in the Zurich’�s annual post-tournament surveys was overwhelmingly positive. Worthy is confident that the charitable donation total will exceed $2.8 million.
Publié : il y a 10 mois par Jeff Duncan dans Sports Entertainment
Turns out, the 2024 Zurich Classic was as good as everyone thought. Thanks to great weather and a star-studded leaderboard headlined by eventual champions Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, the 2024 tournament exceeded expectations in just about every tangible every way, said Steve Worthy, the chairman and CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, which operates the tournament for the PGA Tour. There are still final numbers to be crunched this summer, but the early returns from the four-day event show the Zurich Classic established new benchmarks in multiple areas. The tournament set an unofficial attendance record with a four-day total of more than 116,000 attendees, a pleasant surprise for Zurich officials who worried that competition from Jazz Fest and a home playoff game for the New Orleans Pelicans would dilute final numbers. A crowd of more than 36,000 for Saturday’s third round was also a single-day record.
The record numbers are expected to lead to an unprecedented donation of more than $3 million to regional children’s charities from the foundation, Worthy said. The previous high was $2.8 million in 2023. “I feel very confident we will give a significant record to charity this year,” said Worthy, who expects to finalize the charitable donation total in the fall. Television ratings for the Zurich also climbed. Viewership for the CBS broadcast of Sunday’s final round was more than 1.85 million, an increase of 26 percent from a year ago (1.47 million). That made it the most-watched final round for the event since 2021 and the second best since 2015. Sunday's final round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, won by Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, drew 1.852M viewers on CBS, up 26% from last year (1.470M).
It's the most-watched final round for the event since '21 and second-best since 2015. Coverage peaked near 2.8M. pic.twitter.com/bVaIe6IbSb — Josh Carpenter (@JoshACarpenter) April 30, 2024
“We were the first of a run that started to go upwards,” Worthy said, noting that the network broadcasts of both the Wells Fargo and PGA Championship experienced similar spikes in viewership. McIlroy and Lowry’s presence on the leaderboard also helped spur more media coverage of the event. Tom Long, the media director of the event, said coverage from both local and national television was significantly higher than 2023, as was the total number of impressions from traditional print and digital media outlets. Worthy said the response from fans, vendors and sponsors in the Zurich’s annual post-tournament surveys has been overwhelmingly positive. The feedback he’s received from PGA Tour players who competed in the event has been just as glowing.
“I was gratified to hear (McIlroy and Lowry) say at the champions’ press conference how the tournament had a big-time event feel to it,” Worthy said. “It was nice that we had that kind of support. and the players appreciated the impact it had the tournament." McIlroy and Lowry rallied to win the tournament in a one-hole playoff against Chad Ramey and Martin Trainer. It was the seventh year of two-man team competition at the Zurich Classic, and Worthy believes the unique format has become more popular each year with players and fans.
“We certainly seem to have a core audience that has bought into what we’re doing,” Worthy said. “We always want to improve and make the event better, but it’s nice to know that people are coming and enjoying the experience.” Worthy said he is not concerned about the potential presence of a LIV Golf tournament in New Orleans next year. LIV officials are exploring the possibility of hosting an event in the city at an undetermined location during the week of Super Bowl 59 in early February, WDSU-TV reported in April. Similarly, LIV staged a tournament at the Las Vegas Country Club during the week of Super Bowl 58, and the event's pro-am attracted several high-profile celebrities and athletes, including Saints quarterback Derek Carr.
“We’ve become pretty established, so while I think it could have some impact, I certainly don’t think it would cripple us,” Worthy said of a potential LIV tournament. “Do I welcome it? No. Do I think it will have a huge impact on us? Probably not.”
Les sujets: TV