Fans Blast NBC After Puzzling Open Championship Viewership Numbers Revealed

The 2024 Open Championship saw Xander Schauffele earn his second major title with a stellar final-round 65 on Sunday.

Somewhat surprisingly, though, the excitement from Royal Troon on the final day of the 152nd Open was not reflected by the tournament's television ratings.

According to Josh Carpenter of Sports Business Journal, NBC and Peacock's final-round broadcasts drew just 3.39 million combined viewers on Sunday - the lowest number for an Open Championship final round since 2015.

Notably, the 2015 Open - won by Zach Johnson - was one of just two Open Championships to finish play on a Monday.

"NBC and Peacock drew 3.39M viewers on Sunday for Xander Schauffele’s two-shot win in @TheOpen , down 4% from last year and Brian Harman. That’s the lowest number for the final round since Zach Johnson’s win in 2015, which finished on a Monday on ESPN (cable)," Carpenter posted on X (formerly Twitter).

There could be a few potential reasons for the 2024 Open Championship's disappointing viewership numbers.

For one, several big names - including Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and Bryson DeChambeau - were absent on the weekend after missing the cut.

Many fans, however, appear to be blaming NBC/Peacock for their less-than-inspiring golf coverage. At multiple points during the 152nd Open Championship, the golf community expressed specific frustrations with the NBC/Peacock broadcast.

That trend has continued after the tournament's surprisingly low ratings were revealed.

Related: Golf Fans Express Similar Frustrations With NBC's Third-Round Open Championship Coverage

Related: NBC’s Open Championship Broadcast Sparks Similar Complaint From Golf Fans

Schauffele, who captured his second major title of the year on Sunday, finished two strokes ahead of Justin Rose and Billy Horschel.

The 2024 Champion Golfer of the Year will now shift his focus to the Olympics - after some much-deserved celebration, of course.