The final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur on NBC Saturday earned the highest-overnight TV rating for a women’s golf tournament since the 2016 U.S. Women’s Open, according data from The Nielsen Company reported by NBC Sports.
Jennifer Kupcho of Wake Forest University and Maria Fassi from Arkansas battled across 18 holes at Augusta National Saturday before Kupcho won the inaugural ANWA by four shots and completed her final six holes in 5-under.
The ANWA earned a .96 overnight rating on its Noon-3 p.m. Eastern telecast Saturday. That was the most for any women’s golf telecast since Brittany Lang beat Anna Nordqvist in a three-hole playoff to win the 2016 Women’s Open at CordeValle Golf Club.
The .96 rating also marked the most viewers of any amateur golf telecast – men’s or women’s – since the 2003 U.S Amateur men’s final. That was won on the 37th hole of a sudden death playoff by Australian Nick Flanagan.
Among those on hand at Augusta National to offer some perspective on the ANWA Saturday was Annika Sorenstam.
“I’m very honored and very proud to be able to be a part of this to see what Augusta National can do. They can do amazing things and they have done so much for the game of golf. If you think of the opportunities for young girls around the world, they have some great partners,” she said. “Again, it has been great to see the start here and I think we are going to have some really great effect down the road. It has been terrific.”
