Golf fans flocked to the Internet to view the coverage of the U.S. Open, according to leading Internet audience measurement service Nielsen/NetRatings.
Traffic to various golf sites spiked sharply during the week ending June 17th, as surfers logged on to view coverage of the first playoff in seven years.
USOpen.com ( www.usopen.com), the official site for the 101st U.S. Golf Championship, made the top ten sports site list this past week for the first time in the past year. It drew 314,000 unique visitors among people logging on at home.
PGATour.com ( www.pgatour.com) ranked as the 14th fastest growing site among surfers at home, spiking 64 per cent in traffic.
The site attracted 204,000 unique visitors, compared to 124,000 surfers the previous week. Another site attracting golf fans, GolfWeb.comdrew 188,000 unique visitors.
"Delivering up-to-the-minute event updates and game highlights, sports sites attract and retain a large fan base," said Mr Jarvis Mak, senior Internet analyst at NetRatings. "Golf sites capture the suspense of live tournaments while providing interactive offerings like real-time streaming broadcast and updates on player standings."