Tiger Woods Is Increasing TV Golf Ratings

Tiger Woods, while loved by many, has not won in quite a while, and there are some out there who continue to gripe about the amount of coverage he gets. However, it is inarguable that Tiger is good for golf. Recently, Geoff Shackleford, a contributor to Golf World, pointed out to Sports Media Watch the final ratings on Quicken Loan’s National event. Woods is having a profound effect on the ratings, causing a 92 percent spike over the last year to follow up on the 28 percent increase in 2016. Shackleford states that the third round saw a massive increase at 143 percent. Overall, Tiger Woods being on the field and playing alongside other big names is moving the needle for PGA Tour ratings up fast, reports The Big Lead.

Playing alongside Bronson Burgoon and Joel Dahmen, Woods has made even more lasting impressions on those who watch him play the sport. Burgoon, who is in his second year on Tour, gave his opinion to journalists after a 67 at the Quicken Loans National.

“He’s in my opinion the greatest golfer ever to play, so it was one of my best rounds I’ve ever played. I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve played with Jordan and Rickie. They bring a crowd, but nothing… I mean, that’s a sea of people. Unbelievable.”

Dahmen also remarked on his experience playing alongside Tiger, geeking out and gushing positively about the golfing legend.

“He made his fourth birdie in a row and I couldn’t stop smiling. That was the coolest thing ever on a golf course.”

At a certain point, fans were not even sure if Tiger Woods was coming back to golf, so many are thankful for his return. His performance has definitely not been anything to snub one’s nose at. Tiger has done well overall since his return to golf. Majors were not the highest note for Woods, as he finished at T32 and missed the cut at the US Open; however, he does boast having three top 10 finishes. Coming in second place at the Valspar Championship, tying for fifth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and tying for fourth just this past week during the Quicken Loans National are Tiger’s highlights. Certainly another highlight is his current claim to fame for boosting PGA Tour ratings and viewership all season. It would seem obvious that tons of people were tuning in to see Tiger play again.

New York Times cited Woods’ return as a tad bit “rusty” and “tempered” back in January of this year. His ability to draw in a crowd has apparently been anything but those descriptions.