Telling Reasons Why Tiger Woods Is Still Golf’s Biggest And Only Straw
It’s a long-known fact that any tournament Tiger Woods enters garners way more eyeballs than those where he doesn’t appear. He is simply the straw that stirs golf’s cocktail. Anyone else pales in comparison.
Like, do you think any of the 12 players ahead of him in the OWGR (even combined) could attract this throng at last year’s Tour Championship that Tiger won?
Of course not.
Anyway, Morning Reads’ John Hawkins asks the pertinent question to event officials; would you rather have Tiger Woods show up to your event, or the 12 star players ahead of him on the World Rankings?
“I would take Woods over the other 12,” said Peter DeYoung, the former tournament director at the Western Open.
“Interesting question,” said Clair Peterson, who has done amazing things while overseeing the John Deere Classic since 2002. “Having Tiger here would be huge, bringing the story full-circle from when we gave him his third professional start in 1996 and he led through three rounds. Everyone in town has felt a part of his story since and have been waiting for him to return.”
When Woods announced he was coming to the Tampa Bay area, officials scrambled to find 10,000 extra parking spots, 90 more portable toilets and another 30 shuttle buses. They don’t do that kind of stuff when Jordan Spieth shows up. “Things have changed so much over the last 30 years with the addition of skyboxes and [vastly increased] corporate presence,” DeYoung said. “Having Tiger Woods in your field grows those dollars exponentially.
“You can do all the studies you want, but Tiger Woods moves the
needle. Always has, always will.”
None of this qualifies as breaking news, but it does speak volumes about the inability of young stars such as Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas to widen pro golf’s fan base. The Tour’s TV ratings were dismally low in 2016 and 2017, when Woods was barely active. Lousy TV numbers lead to unhappy title sponsors, who are required to account for a significant percentage of the adjacent advertising spots and aren’t thrilled when fewer people see them.
Last week’s gathering in Palm Springs and the Tour stop in Fort Worth, however, are longstanding, non-Tiger events that have struggled with title sponsorship. There are plenty of others, a few of which have disappeared from the schedule altogether. The advent of the FedEx Cup in 2007 and its subsequent playoff series hasn’t done the have-nots any favors.
The more money the top players make, the fewer tournaments they’re likely to enter, but if Dustin Johnson skipped the Honda Classic, nobody would care. If Woods didn’t show up, all hell would break loose. Last year proved that Tigermania remains an unconditional phenomenon, oblivious not only to his actual performance, but all of the guys whom he’s trying to beat.
All true statements. The PGA Tour better start figuring out how to replace Eldrick once he reduces to playing only majors, or retiring altogether. I’ve said John Daly is the only other player to attract even non-golf-fans like Tiger. Outside of Long John, not one other name rises to the top of consciousness as a formidable marketing rival. And, that has to make the PGA Tour and its networks shudder in their blazers and quarter zips.
