The 2025 Tour Championship provided a proper conclusion to one of the more storyline-rich and narrative-laden golf seasons in recent memory, and the sports world was tuned in to witness it.
Fan-favorite Tommy Fleetwood finally broke through for his first PGA Tour victory. The 34-year-old Englishman became beloved among fans as they joined him on his long journey to the winner’s circle. Before Sunday, Fleetwood’s 44 top-10 finishes were the most of any player without a win on Tour.
But all of that was put to bed over the weekend when Fleetwood pulled away from the field at East Lake and never looked back, winning by three shots over Patrick Cantlay and Russell Henley to capture the FedEx Cup and take home a cool $10 million.
The epic finale drew a lot of eyes, too.
NBC reported an average of 4.491 million viewers during the latter stages of Sunday’s final round, up 34 percent from the same window during last year’s Tour Championship, which saw 3.358 million tune in to see Scottie Scheffler hoist the FedEx Cup, according to Josh Carpenter with Sports Business Journal.
It’s the highest-rated non-major event of the season and a fitting end to what has been a year worth celebrating for the PGA Tour in terms of TV ratings. A few weeks ago, CBS reported 2025 was its most-watched golf season in seven years, while all three events in the FedEx Cup Playoffs on NBC saw a significant increase in viewership.
Fleetwood’s heartwarming breakthrough also stirred a lot of buzz online, with sports icons like Tiger Woods, Lebron James and Caitlin Clark chiming in to congratulate the Englishman.
