It is very rare that you find a sportsman who can transcend the world of sport and be a generational star but in Tiger Woods that is exactly what golf has been able to rely on.
Although life off the course hasn’t always been plain sailing, on it, Woods has been the face of the game for the best part of three decades and his popularity is still as high as it ever has been.
The PNC Championship is meant to be one of golf’s most relaxed tournaments and in some senses it is the closest tournament that the PGA Tour has that resembles a YouTube style event.
Years ago the PNC would barely register a dent in the calendar but ever since Woods has decided to play the event with his son Charlie, how that has changed.
Not only do the media like to see how the younger Woods is faring, but with Tiger making so few appearances in professional tournaments these days, it is a rare chance for his biggest fans to see what he does best and that is playing golf.
With Tiger mania sweeping the world of golf once again, his presence has offered up a stark reminder of just how pivotal he is to the game and with others struggling to move the needle, if golf is to keep its place in the sporting mainstream, it still very much needs Tiger Woods. Here are the reasons why.
Fractured game is great for the players, not so good for the fans
Over recent years, much of the discourse surrounding the men’s professional game has been centred around money. Never before has so much money been in the game and the world’s best players now have an abundance of opportunities to earn tens of millions every season.
However, despite the players being able to revel in all of their money making, it’s fair to say that for the fans golf’s great divide hasn’t been great.
The viewership figures for the PGA Tour has never been as low and despite LIV boasting a roster that is stacked with talent, a lack of a main TV deal has delayed LIV’s ascent to the sporting mainstream.
What many were interested in seeing is the result of the viewership figures when Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy took on Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau. Billed as an epic match up between the best of the PGA Tour and the best of LIV, executives would have been disappointed that less than 700,000 viewers tuned into the action.
The disappointing numbers are a great example of the struggles golf is currently facing. The product currently is diluted and although there are a host of popular players, there isn’t one player that can attract the attention that Woods still manages to do.
Nobody has been able to fill the fifteen time major winner’s shoes and until golf can find its next superstar, it’s fair to say that there are huge questions over the future of the game.
Will Woods feature in 2025?
Tiger Woods sightings in recent seasons have been rare but when he has hit the course it’s fair to say that his title winning days look far behind him.
2024 was meant to be the year that Woods returned to a somewhat more busy schedule but his withdrawal from the Genesis and missed cuts in three of the four majors left many wondering if he would tee it up again within a professional environment.
For a great competitor like Woods simply turning up to play isn’t enough and he only wants to play if he believes he can win and he has tempered expectations ahead of 2025.
Lacking fitness for the Hero Challenge that he hosts, his good form at the PNC is a poor indicator as to how he would fare when competing against the very best players in the world.
The days of him competing in all four majors could be well behind him so sightings of Woods may be restricted to just Augusta. Of the four majors you can probably safely assume that the only tournament where he will tee it up is at the Masters. A course he knows so well, it offers up his best chance of winning.
Beyond that, it is likely to be a case of waiting and seeing. Woods has publicly stated that he will only play when he is good and ready to do so, whether he uses 2025 as a springboard to a better and healthier 2026 is something to keep a real eye on next season.
Could TGL change the game?
Following a year-long delay, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TGL Golf league is due to commence in January 2025.
A new way of consuming the game, the game combines virtual and real play and features some of the very best players on the PGA Tour.
The format is ready made for TV with each contest lasting two hours, with a live crowd and each player being mic’d up, it will be interesting to see if TGL takes off or whether like some of golf’s recent side quests, viewership is low and it struggles to make an impact.
Woods will be playing and that in itself is a big draw. TGL offers a way for fans getting to see him play and for Woods himself, the lack of walking should eliminate the various stresses that he puts on his body and should enable him to compete pain-free.
There is a huge chance that in 2025, TGL is the only arena where Woods will regularly compete. A sporting legend and icon, golf still needs Woods and there will be huge hope that in 2025 he will be able to make a comeback that this time lasts.
Jack Hartman
A keen golfer and huge fan of the game, Jack has been covering golf for the last five years. Bringing you all the latest coverage and news from the PGA, LIV, LPGA and DP World Tours, never before has golf been so popular and Jack can’t wait to bring all the excitement to his readers.
