Tiger Woods needs to heal quickly.
Golf’s singular draw is currently on the mend thanks to knee surgery. But though Woods went under the knife, the PGA Tour is the one feeling the pain.
The final round of the Wachovia Championship drew a 1.8 overnight on CBS, down a whopping 53% from a 3.8 last year. Ratings for Saturday coverage were also down, falling by 42% from a 2.4 in ’07 to a 1.4 this year. Last year, Woods won the event.
What does this say about the health and popularity of the PGA Tour? When Tiger does not play, ratings fall to the mid 1.0-low 2.0 range. Could those numbers reflect the actual weekly audience for golf?
When Woods plays, he is essentially inflating the ratings, bringing in casual fans who would not ordinarily watch. Without Woods inflating the ratings, golf is barely competitive with NBA and MLB regular season games.
Like the NBA when Michael Jordan retired, what happens to golf once Woods is gone? While golfers usually last longer than other athletes, there will be a time when the PGA does not have Tiger to count on. And unlike the late 1990s/early 2000s NBA, which cultivated new — though less popular — stars, the PGA does not appear to be grooming anyone to take Tiger’s place.
