Presidents Cup Opening Round Ratings Jump 88% on Golf Channel

Television audiences for the Presidents Cup surged during the opening round at Medinah, even as complaints circulated about the broadcast and course setup. Nielsen panel-only data released Saturday showed Golf Channel's Thursday coverage averaged 688,000 viewers, an 88% jump from the first day of the 2024 event.

How high did viewership peak?

Audience size peaked at 935,000 viewers during the 5:45 p.m. ET quarter-hour, as fans tuned in for the start of the opening matches. The telecast was Golf Channel's second-most-watched opening round of 2026, trailing only Thursday's coverage of The Players Championship.

Interest carried beyond live match coverage. "Live From the Presidents Cup," the network's surrounding studio program, drew a 39% increase in viewership compared with its Thursday broadcast during the 2024 competition.

The ratings jump comes as the 2026 Presidents Cup has produced one of its more compelling starts: the Internationals swept the Americans 5-0 in Friday's foursomes to build a 7-3 lead, raising the prospect of just the second International team victory in the event's history. The figures are based on Nielsen panel-versus-panel comparisons; Big Data metrics had not yet been released.