The biggest star in all of sports is making his return, and not a moment too soon.
Tiger Woods announced via his website on Thursday that he will return to the PGA Tour for the February 25 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championships. The tournament will be Woods’ first PGA Tour event since winning the U.S. Open last June.
In Woods’ absence, ratings have cratered for PGA Tour events. Ratings for the last two majors of 2008 fell by double-digits, including a whopping 55% drop for the final round of the PGA Championship, which drew a record-low 2.8 rating. The declines have continued into 2009, with the final round of the recent Buick Invitational drawing a 2.0 rating, off 52% from a 4.2 for Woods’ win in ’08.
The likely hype surrounding Woods’ return figures to have a big impact on the ratings for the Accenture Match Play Championships. Last year, final round coverage of the event drew a 3.0 rating.
