Yesterday I talked about the difference between golf with Tiger and golf without Tiger.
Woods, you might have heard, after flirting with winning now for the past couple of months, took the crown at the Tour Championship in Atlanta.
Want proof of what Tiger means to golf, and why Sunday is just different when he's on the leaderboard.
Well, you might have actually witnesses that throng that followed him down the 18th fairway. It looked like something from a movie as hundreds of people followed the leader toward his date with destiny. Woods had not won for five years. In between were some well publicized private indiscretions, as well as some trips to rehab and a handful of back surgeries.
Many thought Woods would never return to the level that made him the most dominant figure in golf, winner of 79 PGA tournaments and 14 majors.
Make it an even 80.
Want to know what Tiger means to golf.
Maybe you should ask the folks at NBC. They had the TV rights to this weekend's tournament, and the Sunday final was going up against the behemoth of the TV sports world. You probably know it as the NFL.
NBC announced that its overnight ratings for the Sunday telecast checked in at 5.21. That's higher than any other non-major championship telecast this season. It was also a 206 percent increase over last year's final of the Tour Championship.
The ratings climbed through the afternoon and peaked during the 5:30-6 p.m. hour, as Woods was making his way up the 18th fairway to claim the title.
This week NBC will be back with the Ryder Cup. Woods is in the field.
You bet I'll be in front of the tube.
As I said, I'm a golf nut. I'd be watching anyhow.
But when Tiger is in or near the lead on Sunday afternoon, it's not just golf. It's an event.
Just ask NBC.
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