Tiger Woods made his long-awaited return to the course over the weekend, playing alongside son Charlie at the PNC Championship – and the event saw a huge spike in TV ratings

Tiger Woods impact laid bare by new TV ratings after Rory McIlroy fears realized (Image: Getty Images)

Tiger Woods’ absence was keenly felt on the PGA Tour, but during his recent appearance, there was a significant surge in viewership. Last weekend saw Woods teaming up with his son Charlie at the PNC Championship in Orlando, Florida.

This event marked Tiger’s first competitive play since his sixth lower-back surgery in September.

Before this Father/Son Challenge, Woods hadn’t played in a tournament since The Open Championship in July. Injuries have plagued him, resulting in only 13 starts on the PGA Tour over the past four seasons.

As accusations of ‘cheating’ fly at Bernhard Langer and the PGA Tour anticipates another lift from Woods’ presence, fans revelled in the highlights provided by Team Woods – not least of which was Charlie’s first ace at the fourth hole par-3.

Tiger Woods has made his feelings on modern golf known (Image: Getty Images)

“That was the thrill of a lifetime to be able to have that moment with Charlie, make his first hole-in-one, [daughter] Sam on the bag, just our family and friends. That’s what this event is about. It’s about bonding and family,” Woods expressed.

He further acknowledged the competitive spirit of the event, stating, “I know we didn’t win, but it was the fact that we competed. No one really made a mistake out there. We had to earn it, and that’s what you want to have. Hats off to Langers. They played amazing.”

Tiger Woods’ impressive showing at the PNC Championship, alongside his son, drew a massive audience, with Sports Media Watch reporting that day one of the event pulled in an average of 2.92 million viewers across Nielsen and Adobe Analytics.

This figure represents a staggering 147% increase from the previous year and is the highest for the tournament’s opening day since its inception in 1995. The following day also saw a significant boost, with an average of 1.42 million viewers, marking a 32% rise from 2023.

The ‘Tiger effect’ is thought to be behind the PNC Championship’s robust viewership numbers, which stand in sharp contrast to the declining figures seen at other major golf tournaments this year. For instance, the 152nd Open Championship in July attracted its smallest audience since 2015, with just 3.39 million viewers.

Similarly, the Masters’ final round earlier in the year experienced a 20% drop in viewership compared to the previous year.

Rory McIlroy has commented on the downward trend, linking it to the ongoing dispute between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. “If you look at the TV ratings of the PGA Tour this year, they’re down 20 percent across the board. That’s a fifth. That’s big. I would say the numbers on LIV aren’t great either in terms of the people tuning in,” he remarked earlier this year.

“I just think with the fighting and everything that’s gone on over the past couple of years, people are just getting fatigued, and it’s turning people off men’s professional golf, and that’s not a good thing for anyone.”