By Tom Comi
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There are very few people who can dramatically increase television ratings by their mere presence, and Tiger Woods is one of those people. And when the links legend returns to the tour this week, you will hear a collective sigh from TV executives and golf fans alike.
Woods has been out for the past four weeks while rehabilitating several leg injuries, and it would be an understatement to say he has been missed. Golf enthusiasts will always watch tournaments regardless of the field, but the fact of the matter is Tiger’s participation in an event has always drawn enough fringe fans to drive the ratings needle upwards.
So when Tiger tees off Thursday in the Bridgestone Invitational in Ohio (Golf Channel’s coverage begins at 2pm ET), the golf world will be watching to see if he can recapture the form that led him to winning 14 majors or if he is a fraction of his former self. And although his pride forces him to say his goal is to win a tournament he has already won seven times, it might be a victory in itself if he can survive the cut and play into the weekend when CBS takes over the afternoon coverage.
The real winners since Tiger’s physical and noted personal problems dropped him from being the top golfer in the world to his current ranking of #28 are the rest of the PGA field. With his game slipping little by little, it’s opened the door for golfers like Rory Mcllroy to win the U.S. Open and Darren Clark (with whom Tiger will be paired with Thursday and Friday) to claim the British Open.
That’s not to say that the window is closing anytime soon just because Tiger is back. It will undoubtably take some time to shake off the rust and adjust to a new caddie after he fired longtime bagman Stevie Williams.
“The great thing is I don’t feel [pain in my leg],” Woods told the media this week. “It feels solid. It feels good to go out there and hit balls, go practice and feel nothing … and pretty much do anything I want on the course.”
That’s not to say Tiger is incapable of winning this tournament (he’s actually one of the favorites at bodog.com), but the smart money is probably on somebody like Mcllroy, Luke Donald, Steve Stricker, Dustin Johnson, Lee Westood or Phil Mickelson. Either way, I’m pretty sure I echo the sentiments of the higher-ups at both the Golf Channel and CBS when I say it’s nice to have Tiger back.
Photo: Credit: Erik Campos/The State/KRT