Kevin Harvick’s edging out Carl Edwards in one of the closest finishes in NASCAR history was the most-watched sports telecast of the week in Orlando.
NASCAR’s Good Sam 500 race that aired on FOX was the most watched sporting event this weekend in the Orlando area with an average 109,746 viewers on Sunday according to Nielsen.
NBC’s Sunday coverage of the PGA TOUR’s Valspar Championship was the second-most watched sporting event of the week in Orlando with 67,915 viewers. The Valspar Championship was held in Palm Harbor, Florida and won by Charl Schwartzel beating Bill Hass in a playoff.
This week the PGA TOUR will be in Orlando at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The field will include Adam Scott, who is seeking to win a third consecutive start, and world No. 2 Rory McIlroy among a field that features four of the top 10 in the current World Rankings.
Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose are the other top-10 entrants. Overall, Bay Hill will welcome 12 of the rankings’ top 30. And that does not include two-time defending champion Matt Every.
The Arnold Palmer Invitational should be both a big draw within the city of Orlando with attendance at the tournament and a big draw on TV within the city.
Both those events outdrew college basketball conference championship games, including the American Athletic Conference Tournament taking place at the Amway Center. The lack of local interest with Florida, Florida State and UCF all bowing out of their respective tournaments early and missing the NCAA Tournament in whole certainly hurt.
