KLPGA Championship 'Huge Success'... "Peak Viewership Rating 1.61%"

Interest Explodes in the World's First Tournament Since COVID-19, Intense Championship Competition with Final Day Average of 0.93%

The KLPGA Championship boasted record-breaking viewership ratings. Park Hyun-kyung is seen teeing off at the 1st hole on the final day. Photo by KLPGA

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] "The highest viewership rating in the past 4 years."

The first major of the 2020 season of the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour, the KLPGA Championship (total prize money of 3 billion KRW), was a huge hit. On the 18th, AGB Nielsen, a viewership rating survey agency, reported that "the average viewership rating of the KLPGA Championship broadcasted by SBS Golf was recorded at 0.65%." This is an all-time high rating. The final day’s rating especially soared to 0.93%. It was the highest viewership rating across all KLPGA Tour tournaments in four years since 2016.

During the final round at 3:20 PM, when the champion group consisting of Park Hyun-kyung (20, Korea Land & Trust), Lim Hee-jung (20, Hanwha Q CELLS), and Bae Seon-woo (26) competed in a close match, the momentary viewership rating reached 1.61%. The tournament, held over four days from the 14th at Lakewood Golf Club in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, attracted even more attention as it was the first regular tour event held after the COVID-19 pandemic. The total broadcast time for all rounds exceeded 30 hours.

The event was broadcast in 44 countries worldwide, including Australia’s Fox Sports, Canada’s CBC, Japan’s Sky A, Southeast Asia, and Africa. In the United States, NBC Golf aired highlights on 'Golf Central.' The SBS Golf YouTube channel recorded over 160,000 views. Second-year player Park Hyun-kyung surged with a 5-under-par on the final day to claim a come-from-behind victory (17-under-par 271 strokes). The winner’s prize was 220 million KRW, adding special significance as the first global victory since the COVID-19 pandemic.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.