PGA Championship ratings spike due to Scottie Scheffler drama

Scottie Scheffler’s arrest drama contributed to an 18 percent viewership boost for Friday’s second round of the PGA Championship, as reported by Sports Business Journal on Tuesday.

The second round, held at Valhalla in Louisville, Ky., averaged 1.61 million viewers on ESPN from noon to 8 p.m. ET, compared to 1.37 million during the same slot for the 2023 tournament at Oak Hill in New York. Scheffler, 27, was arrested early Friday morning shortly after arriving at the golf course. He was charged with felony assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding signals from officers directing traffic. According to Louisville police, an officer was “dragged to the ground” by a vehicle driven by Scheffler, who was attempting to bypass a traffic backup caused by a fatal accident earlier that morning.

Scheffler was booked at the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections and released after his mug shot was taken, wearing an orange jail-issued jumpsuit. He was released in time to make his tee time, which was delayed by 80 minutes for all players due to the traffic jam resulting from the accident.

Scheffler finished T8 in the event after shooting a final round 65 on Sunday. ESPN’s studio programming, which heavily covered Scheffler’s situation, also saw increased viewership compared to the previous Friday. The 7 a.m. “SportsCenter” averaged 330,000 viewers, up from 280,000 the previous week. “Get Up” at 8 a.m. drew 434,000 viewers, up from 397,000, and “First Take” at 10 a.m. drew 565,000 viewers, up from 516,000.