WGT Golf News

  • With Tiger Out, Less People Watch Golf

    29 Jul 2008

    The presence of Greg Norman on the leaderboard apparently couldn’t offset the absence of Tiger Woods.

    ABC’s final-round coverage of the British Open on Sunday earned a 3.5 overnight rating, a 15 percent drop from last year (4.1). Padraig Harrington won both years, although last year’s numbers were bolstered by his four-hole playoff against Sergio Garcia. In a report issued last month, Magna’s Brian Hughes notes that the average household rating for four non-major events Woods participated in this year was double that of non-Woods PGA events, a 3.6 compared to a 1.8.

    All told, viewership of the majors may hit its lowest since 1997, when Tiger first dominated the Masters. The networks have responded by extensively covering Tiger’s injury during majors, in an effort to generate more interest.

    Will you tune in despite Tiger’s absence?

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