The Tiger Woods effect has an impact on TV ratings

The Tiger Woods effect takes centre stage during the final round of the 2018 PGA Championship on Sunday, with TV viewership ratings up 73% from last year.

According to American television network CBC, the number of viewers grew from 4.9 million to 8.5 million as Tiger Woods mounted a final-round charge in an attempt to catch eventual winner Brooks Koepka at Bellerive Country Club.

Wood’s second-place finish marks his best performance in a major since 2009 and ironically, the ratings over the weekend were the best for a PGA Championship since 2009 when the 14-time major winner was involved.

Similar stats occurred in the major’s third round, with the network experiencing a 54% increase on last year’s figures at Quail Hollow.

The fortunes for broadcasters and sponsors has risen to new highs since Wood’s resurgence as TV ratings skyrocketed at The Open Championship in July, were Woods finished in sixth at Carnoustie after briefly holding the outright lead in the final round.

His presence brought about the highest TV ratings for The Open since he had completed the Grand Slam by winning at St Andrews in 2000.

Woods’ world ranking has gone from 1,199th to 668th, the biggest jump in the world rankings in his career and it appears the clutch performers popularity will continue to rise along with the TV ratings.