Though in his statement this morning Tiger Woods didn't preclude a return to golf this year, he also didn't announce any specific plans to return. That spells bad news for the tournaments and the ratings. Ratings are typically 50% worse when Tiger isn't participating.
Before today I'd fully expected that Tiger would be playing by this year's Masters (including one tune-up tournament prior to it). That's still not off the table, but doesn't seem nearly as certain to me as it did before. The Masters may be a "Tradition Unlike Any Other," but when it comes to ratings, Woods is a golfer unlike any other. A big problem for the PGA in general, an even bigger problem if Woods isn't playing.
VIEWERSHIP OF PGA TOURNAMENTS MISSED BY TIGER WOODS DUE TO INJURY IN 2008-09:
| TOURNAMENT | NETWORK | # OF VIEWERS P2+, 2007-08 | # OF VIEWERS P2+, 2008-09 | % CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRITISH OPEN-SAT | ABC | 3,040,000 | 3,278,000 | 7.8% |
| BRITISH OPEN-SUN | ABC | 5,147,000 | 4,463,000 | -13.3% |
| AT&T NATIONAL-SAT | CBS | 2,630,000 | 1,442,000 | -45.2% |
| AT&T NATIONAL-SUN | CBS | 3,615,000 | 2,164,000 | -40.1% |
| NEC World Series GOLF-SAT | CBS | 3,250,000 | 1,793,000 | -44.8% |
| NEC World Series GOLF-SUN | CBS | **4,541,000 | 3,018,000 | -33.5% |
| PGA CHAMPIONSHIPS-SAT | CBS | 5,947,000 | ^^1,298,000 | -78.2% |
| PGA CHAMPIONSHIPS-SUN | CBS | **9,165,000 | 3,885,000 | -57.6% |
| BUICK INV PGA GOLF-SAT | CBS | 3,761,000 | 1,601,000 | -57.4% |
| BUICK INV PGA GOLF-SUN | CBS | **6,193,000 | 2,868,000 | -53.7% |
| DEUTSCHE GOLF CHAMP-SUN | NBC | 3,658,000 | 1,960,000 | -46.4% |
| DEUTSCHE GOLF CHAMP-MON | NBC | 4,936,000 | 2,116,000 | -57.1% |
| BMW GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP-SAT | NBC | 3,113,000 | 1,091,000 | -65.0% |
| BMW GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP-SUN | NBC | **4,358,000 | 1,678,000 | -61.5% |
| TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP-SAT | NBC | 3,573,000 | 1,372,000 | -61.6% |
| TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP-SUN | NBC | **4,231,000 | 2,183,000 | -48.4% |
| TOTAL | 4,567, 000 | 2,430,000 | -46.8% | |
| source: The Nielsen Company 2009** – tournament won by Tiger Woods
^^ – play suspended by inclement weather |
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More via Nielsen wire.
