Eldrick “Tiger” Woods. The name is synonymous with things such as superiority, excellence, and dominance. It is likely that by the end of his career he will be regarded as the greatest golfer ever. At the ripe age of 32, Woods is entering the “prime” of his career. His accomplishments are innumerable. His demeanor on the course, unmatched. His abilities, superior. However, is it possible that he has had a negative impact on the PGA Tour? Has he made the PGA Tour suffer? Could Tiger Woods actually be hurting the success of golf in
The most obvious impact Woods has had on the game is his ability to attract crowds. When playing, Woods almost always attracts the largest gallery. Not only do playing partners have to deal with playing along side one of the most dominant athletes in recent memory, but they also have to account for the incredible crowds watching their every move. You might ask, “How is that making the PGA Tour suffer?” The answer, it isn’t…as long as Woods is in the field that week. While Woods attracts crowds when he does play, he plays one of the smallest schedules on tour. He rarely plays more than 20 events a year, worldwide. With the PGA Tour having almost 50 events this year, including the Playoff Series, Woods will only be present for 40% of the events. So, for 40% of the events this year, there will be no concern about attracting crowds or selling tickets, or TV ratings. However, what happens when Woods isn’t in the field? The answer: the PGA Tour struggles.
The most recent marketing campaign by the PGA Tour was the invention of the Fed Ex Cup. It was meant to bring a new-found meaning to the end of the PGA Tour Season, following all of the majors and notable “major season” tournaments. By narrowing the field to the best players in the world each week, the PGA Tour hoped to bring a “March Madness-esque” environment to the PGA Tour in the fall. However, Woods was able to win the Fed Ex Cup with ease, and without even playing in the first event. It completely defeated the purpose of playing all 4 events in order to win. The final event had relatively no meaning at the onset of the week, before the players even teed it up, as Woods had a strangle-hold on the rankings. What the PGA Tour had hoped would be a race to finish turned into a fight for second, and boring television.
While Woods definitely has an impact on attracting crowds and TV ratings, the most important issue regarding the PGA Tour and Woods has to be the sponsorship issues. For the 20 or so tournaments that Woods plays each year, sponsors are more than happy to shell out the millions of dollars it takes to run a tournament. There are usually sponsors on hold waiting to get a crack at sponsoring an event. However, for the other 60% of the tournaments on the PGA Tour circuit, that is not the case. Smaller galleries, weaker TV ratings, and less notoriety are all reasons why sponsors shy away from Tiger-less tournaments. Many events, such as the PODS Championship, have shifted sponsorships over the past few years. It is becoming more and more difficult to maintain consistent sponsorship for these events, mainly because of the lack of security that comes with hosting a tournament with Woods in the field. All it takes is a weekend with inclement weather to financially cripple a company’s expected profits from an event. Would you be willing to risk spending $8 million on a tournament without a dominant main attraction?
As an avid golf fan and a collegiate-level golfer myself, I have personally seen the golf scene change since the emergence of Woods on tour. In his early years, his enthusiasm and amazing skill made him a fan favorite; however, there were other well-established names that made each week an adventure. His inconsistent play always made tournaments exciting and you never knew what you would see. However, with his dominance on the game continuing to evolve, the golf world has slowly dwindled in attractiveness. While it is certainly an amazing experience to watch Woods up-close and in person, the same dominance that has made his career amazing is what is hurting the PGA Tour. Woods certainly doesn’t show any signs of slowing down anytime soon, so it is on the shoulders of the rest of the PGA Tour to make that leap to make tournaments competitive again. If they don’t, the PGA Tour could find itself in serious financial trouble very soon.
