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Aside from Martin Kaymer, not many people came out winners at the U.S. Open.
That especially goes for advertisers. The year’s second golf major faced a perfect storm when in came to lagging interest.
For starters, there was no Tiger Woods. That caused ticket prices on StubHub to plummet nearly 50 percent compared to last year, when a four-day pass fetched $1,000.
Then you had a tournament devoid of drama with no challenge from Phil Mickelson. It was dominated from the start by Kaymer, not exactly a well-known name outside of golf’s diehard fans.
Official TV ratings weren’t available Sunday night. But expect a similar decline to this year’s final round of the Player’s Championship, which saw ratings slide 50 percent from last year.
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Is it any consolation, Blazers fans?
The Portland Trail Blazers were dominated in the Western Conference semifinals by the San Antonio Spurs.
But after seeing the Spurs manhandle Miami, Portland can take some solace. Even NBA elite were rendered roadkill by the truck that is San Antonio.
Since Game 7 of the first round against Dallas, San Antonio outscored its playoff opponents by an average of 13 points a game.
Over that 17-game stretch, the Spurs scored 100 or more points 13 times — while allowing 100 only six times.
