Quote:There's nothing wrong with being a casual golf fan. I don't think he claimed to be anymore than that. He's surely not the only one.

Agreed.

 

While many of us have been watching or playing golf our entire lives, many millennials grew up in a world where Tiger Woods was the center of the golfing universe, and it wasn't even close.  I know older golf fans who got bored with the game who came back because of Woods.  

 

Yes, there are great golfers out there doing amazing things, and it's probably more entertaining now than it it's been in a long time, but it's difficult to argue with the impact Woods has had on the PGA.  All you need to do is look at the ratings for tournaments where he's in contention vs. those where he either misses the cut or he's out of it for the weekend.  He's still a major draw on TV, and after watching the galleries at The Players last month, there are still a ton of fans who want to see him on the course.

 

Now, that shine will no doubt dissipate as he continues to wallow in this funk he's currently enduring.  I don't know how a golfer can recover from the kind of fall he's had, especially after all the health issues and off the course shenanigans that have had to impact the psychological aspect of his game significantly. 

 

There was a time when he was at his peak when golfers were legitimately intimidated by him, especially on Sundays when he donned the red shirt. 

 

It's a big loss for the PGA, but there are a ton of young guns who are more than making up for it.

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