TV executives didn’t miss the dominant Tiger Woods this year as much as they did last year, or the year before that, or the year before that.
FINAL-ROUND AUDIENCES
(AVG. NUMBER OF VIEWERS)
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MASTERS
2015: 14.0 million
(Winner: Jordan Spieth)
Last Woods win: 2005
(14.634 million)
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
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U.S. OPEN
2015: 6.7 million
(Winner: Jordan Spieth)
Last Woods win: 2008
(12.080 million)
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
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BRITISH OPEN
2015: 3.361 million
(Winner: Zach Johnson)
Last Woods win: 2006
(6.364 million)
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
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PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
2015: 6.682 million
(Winner: Jason Day)
Last Woods win: 2007
(9.165 million)
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
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That’s because everywhere TV executives looked during the PGA Championship, a group of 20-somethings was tearing up the course and dominating the leaderboard. Similar scenes occurred at the British Open, U.S. Open and Masters this year.
These executives are pinning their hopes on the likes of 22-year-old American Jordan Spieth and 26-year-old American Rickie Fowler. They believe golfers like 26-year-old Irishman Rory McIlroy and 27-year-old Australian Jason Day have the potential to draw in casual fans. That’s important because those casual fans haven’t caught on to this new generation yet, at least as far as TV ratings go. Viewership around the sport’s major championships remains way down from when Woods was winning.
But most TV executives like what they see from the young players so far.
“I guess you could say that this is approaching the beginning of the end of the Tiger era,” CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus said. “Look at what happened in the major championships this year and the excitement that is around the sport of golf.”
Speaking just minutes after Day won the PGA Championship on CBS, McManus was excited by what he saw on the Whistling Straights course, where the crew of young golfers dominated the leaderboard and took the mantle from the older generation like the 39-year-old Woods and 45-year-old Phil Mickelson.
“We all hope Tiger comes back,” he said. “He’s shown moments of the old Tiger at times this year, but I think the sport is incredibly well-positioned right now. I’m excited. It’s been a terrific golf season, and there’s still more to go.”
And the Tiger Effect does still exist. TV ratings almost certainly would be higher if Woods were in contention. “The young guns will start to approach that effect,” McManus said. “It will take some time before it is as dramatic and as stark as it was when Tiger was winning all those major championships.”
