Nobody since Michael Jordan has had the effect on ratings that Tiger Woods has on golf.
This season, ratings for PGA Tour events are 52% higher when Woods plays. When he is in contention, Woods can send golf ratings into the stratosphere. Last year, ratings for golf events on NBC and CBS were 111% higher when Woods was in the top five.
NBC is the latest beneficiary of the Woods’ drawing power. The overnight rating for the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Sunday was up a whopping 68% from last year. The 4.2 overnight for the event fell behind the NCAA Tournament Selection Show and NASCAR, but only barely.
So far, Woods has won all four events he has played this season. Three of those were PGA Tour events, and the last two have seen substantial ratings increases. Before the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Woods helped final round ratings for the Accenture Match Play Championships rise 67%.
