Crooked Stick, Colts officials have reason to smile

It was a big sports weekend for central Indiana, with Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel hosting the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship, the third leg of the Fed Ex Cup, and the Indianapolis Colts opening up their regular season in Chicago. Both events drew huge viewer numbers—live and on television. (See video below for figures and analysis.)

Organizers of the BMW Championship wore mostly broad smiles over the weekend as near-record crowds poured in for the four-day event. The large crowds did raise some traffic issues that will have to be looked at if Crooked Stick wants to host another PGA Tour event.

While the Colts were routed by the Bears at Soldier Field, 41-21, Sunday’s TV ratings showed the team’s bandwagon is still mostly full. More central Indiana football fans tuned in to watch the Colts than they did their former favorite son, Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning, who battled Pittsburgh Sunday night.

Playing the Bears—another team with a solid central Indiana following—certainly didn’t hurt the Colts game’s TV viewership numbers. Still, any time a team can outscore Peyton in prime-time, it’s considered a win.