Both for the outcome, with an exciting playoff, and for the winner, Rory McIlroy, one of the most popular and beloved golfers in the world, Sunday at the Masters was followed massively by golf fans. Thousands gathered at the Augusta National Golf Club, while millions watched on television the victory of the Northern Irishman.
So much so that this fourth day of competition at the 2025 Masters became the most-watched round of golf on any television network in the United States in the last seven years, with an average of 12.7 million viewers. CBS recorded a peak audience of 19.5 million people from 7:00 PM to 7:15 PM, at the approximate time when Rory surpassed Rose in the playoff.
CBS says final round of @TheMasters drew 12.7M viewers, up 33% from 2024 and the most-watched since 2018 (Reed).
The number peaked at an insane 19.5M between 7-7:15.
If you go back 25 years, this would rank 14th overall, but among the strongest without Tiger. pic.twitter.com/ooJoxjeJRn
— Josh Carpenter (@JoshACarpenter) April 14, 2025
The Masters was also the largest live-streamed golf event on Paramount+ and its Sunday round was the most-watched non-NFL sports event on the streaming service. These audience figures are even more valuable considering that the great TV star of recent years, Tiger Woods, could not play the tournament due to an injury. Rory‘s triumph surpassed the 2019 audience of the Tiger.
