CBS Sports reveals stunning PGA Championship ratings after Aaron Rai victory

CBS Sports has confirmed last week’s PGA Championship at Aronimink delivered the biggest final-round television audience for the major since Phil Mickelson’s unforgettable victory in 2021 — despite Aaron Rai cruising to victory over the closing holes.

Rai’s breakthrough major win proved a huge hit for CBS Sports, with the network averaging 5.76 million viewers during Sunday’s final round — a 21% increase on Scottie Scheffler’s dominant triumph at Quail Hollow in 2025. 

Rai, 31, became the first player from England in more than 100 years to etch his name on the famous Wanamaker Trophy after ending golf's second major of the season three shots clear of Jon Rahm and Alex Smalley.

Fittingly for a career-defining moment, Rai delivered one of the shots of the season by draining a sensational 70-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th to put the championship beyond doubt.

CBS has confirmed viewership peaked at 8.02 million during Rai’s back-nine surge, while the final hour of coverage averaged 7.83 million viewers.

The figures make it the most-watched final round of the PGA Championship since 2021, when a 50-year-old Phil Mickelson stunned the golfing world at Kiawah Island in front of an average 6.58 million viewers.

What makes the latest PGA Championship viewing numbers even more fascinating is the lack of some of the sport’s biggest storylines deep into Sunday evening.

World number one Scheffler never seriously threatened to defend his title in the final round, while LIV Golf superstar Bryson DeChambeau missed his second straight cut in the majors this season. 

Elsewhere, Rory McIlroy faded badly on Sunday's back nine after briefly threatening to force his way into the mix for a second straight major in 2026.

McIlroy, who got an unruly heckler ejected from the grounds, went on to finish tied seventh, while Scheffler was back in a tie for 14th after holing just about nothing all week. 

For much of the weekend, Aronimink appeared destined for a dramatic shootout, with a tightly packed leaderboard keeping viewers engaged throughout all four rounds.

But while the final round ultimately lacked late drama as Rai pulled away, the strong audience figures for CBS Sports underline golf’s continued momentum heading into the heart of the major season.

Saturday’s third round also delivered huge numbers for CBS, averaging 3.86 million viewers — the network’s strongest PGA Championship Saturday audience since 2018.

There is, however, some important context behind the ratings rise.

This year’s PGA Championship was only the second edition measured using Nielsen’s expanded out-of-home viewing sample, and the first to use Nielsen’s new Big Data + Panel methodology, both of which generally boost live sports audiences compared to previous years.

Even so, the figures remain significant.

None of the previous three PGA Championships — won by Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Brooks Koepka — managed to eclipse 5 million viewers for the final round.

For Rai, still relatively unknown to casual sports fans compared to many of golf’s biggest stars, to help deliver the largest PGA Championship audience in five years will be viewed as an encouraging sign for the sport.

Attention now turns to the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, where NBC Sports will take over coverage duties.

Scheffler will attempt to become just the seventh player in the modern era to complete the career Grand Slam, with the final round set to fall on his 30th birthday.

Should the four-time major champion find himself in contention alongside the biggest names from both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, even larger television audiences could be on the horizon.

Major golf, it would seem, remains in a very healthy place.