Whether the PGA Tour wants to admit it or not, Tiger Woods is bigger than the game of golf. Woods has single-handedly reinvented the game of golf, not just the PGA Tour, but the entire sport. Perhaps the greatest performance EVER in the history of sports was turned in by Woods last year at the U.S. Open, where playing on a torn ACL and fractured tibia, he not only played the 72 holes, but went an extra 19 to beat the field for his 14th Major tournament title. Now, if you've never golfed, it is impossible to fathom how much the left leg (where his injury was) is key in a golfer's swing, especially Tiger. Locking that left leg on the downswing and firing through almost makes it like a spring that can launch the club through the ball, giving a golfer that much needed club speed for the distance and accuracy they desire. Well after that tournament, Tiger underwent knee surgery to fix all of the problems and was out for the final six months of the 2008 season and the first two months of the 2009 season. That was until Tiger announced his return at this week's WGC-Accenture Match Play Championships, a message that sent both the golf community and sport community into a frenzy.
Woods, returning to competitive action for the first time in eight months, began his first round with birdie-eagle and ended up beating his opponent 3 and 2. Today, however, Tiger lost his second round match against a tough Tim Clark, who didn't make a bogey his entire round. This is definitely a blow to the rest of the tournament when considering television ratings, which were the highest the Golf Channel has ever had just yesterday. This leads one to realize, just how much does the game rely on Tiger Woods?
In the eight months that Tiger was gone, attendance at tournaments by the general public was severely down, television ratings were mediocre and the general buzz surrounding golf just lost some of its luster. This UK sport's blog talks about Tiger's return and how golf can not survive without his presence. While it is hard to debate that golf as a whole can not survive without Woods, it is easy to see that golf in the United States will surely lose interest without Woods in the game. Golf as a whole, around the world, ran smoothly without Tiger, but that was the European Tour and Asian Tour. As for the PGA Tour, ask any leading official and they are wiping the sweat off of their brows with the return of golf's idol. No one can deny that Tiger has transformed the game of golf and has created a new generation of kids interested in the sport. No other athlete can claim that in this day and age. With the return of Tiger, television networks will see increased revenue via advertising because of people wanting to watch Tiger. PGA Tour events will see increased revenue with ticket sales increasing because people want to watch Tiger. What is the common denominator in these equation? People want to watch Tiger. This is exactly why the game of golf, not just the PGA Tour, is selling the hell out of his return and is building up this season as the return of the Tiger.
Tiger's return just made advertising for the PGA Tour the easiest job in all of America. Even Nike has climbed on the return bandwagon, releasing a new commercial for the return of Woods to the locker room. It is one of the funniest commercials I have seen because while poking fun at it, the whole commercial is true. Basically, the fun all of the lower golfers were having in Tiger's absence is now over with because he's back and they know they don't stand a chance.
Welcome back Mr. Woods. Golf just hasn't been the same without you.
No comments:
Post a Comment