BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — South Carolina’s victory over Caitlin Clark and Iowa in Sunday’s women’s NCAA championship game had a preliminary audience average of 18.7 million on ABC and ESPN.

The only sporting events in the United States to draw a bigger TV audience since 2019 have been football, the World Cup and the Olympics.

The audience numbers are expected to increase when Nielsen releases its final numbers on Tuesday.

Nielsen says the audience peaked at 24 million.

It’s the most-watched basketball game since 2019, when the men’s NCAA title game between Virginia and Texas Tech averaged 19.6 million on CBS.

AUGUSTA LOOKS DRY FOR MASTERS

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Forget the azaleas and dogwoods at Augusta National.

Players are marveling over firm and fast conditions for the Masters.

How long it lasts depends on one day of rain expected later in the week.

Xander Schauffele says shots into par 5s are bouncing across the turf.

Tony Finau played a chip on the 11th hole he couldn’t keep on the green.

Tiger Woods was out early with Will Zalatoris for nine holes.

Among those who used Monday as a day of rest was Akshay Bhatia.

And for good reason. He just got into the Masters by winning the Texas Open.

IT’S JUST THE START FOR NCAA

CLEVELAND (AP) — The NCAA women’s basketball tournament is having a moment.

Attendance and TV ratings during this year’s version of March Madness spiked thanks in part to Iowa star Caitlin Clark.

Clark says she expects the growth of interest in women’s college hoops to continue even after she moves on to the WNBA.

The NCAA is optimistic the women’s tournament can start to cash in on some of its newfound popularity.

NCAA president Charlie Baker says the organization is exploring providing a financial benefit to the 68 teams that make the field.

AARON GETTING HOF STATUE

ATLANTA (AP) — Baseball’s Hall of Fame will unveil a bronze statue of Hank Aaron on May 23 on the first floor of its museum in Cooperstown, New York.

And the U.S. Postal Service will release a commemorative stamp picturing Aaron in his batting stance wearing his Atlanta Braves uniform.

Both announcements came on the 50th anniversary of Aaron’s 715th home run, which topped the record 714 hit by Babe Ruth.

Aaron hit 755 home runs from 1954-76, a mark that stood until Barry Bonds hit 762 from 1986-2007, a feat assisted by performance-enhancing drugs.

Aaron was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1982.

A 25-time All-Star, he set a record with 2,297 RBIs.