Tiger Woods: The Advertising Star with Stripes Is Back

It wasn't only golf fans who missed Tiger Woods while he was out recovering from knee surgery. Sponsors, advertisers, and broadcasters missed him, too

By Rick Horrow and Karla Swatek

1. Tiger Back—Instant Impact on PGA Tour Expected
Much to the delight of tournament sponsors, NBC, and the Golf Channel (which share domestic broadcast responsibilities), Tiger Woods has returned to play at the Feb. 25-Mar. 1 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship in Tucson. For Woods, the Match Play tournament represents his first competition since June, when he won the U.S. Open, his 14th major championship, in a grueling 19-hole Monday playoff at Torrey Pines in San Diego, on a bad knee and a broken leg.

In Sports Illustrated, a poll of the Golf Magazine top 100 teachers asked "at which event will Tiger Woods make his return?" Thirty-four percent of respondents answered correctly that Woods would enter the Match Play event; 19% pegged his return at Doral, and almost half (47%) thought he would return at Bay Hill, where he's won five times. (Let's hope the teachers are more accurate when you ask them how to correct your slice.)

Top teachers and the swarm of media expected in Tucson aside, the Tour is grateful and loud in acknowledging the return of its cash cat after an eight-month absence. Woods is universally acknowledged to be an instant balm for seriously sagging ticket sales and ratings, as well as a solid justification for sponsors to plunk down money on a golf tournament in this economy. While it's somewhat suspect that Tiger timed his return to correspond with an event held by Accenture (ACN), one of his biggest sponsors (and did anyone but us notice that Tiger's announcement was orchestrated in the middle of archrival Phil Mickelson's best round of the year to date, at Riviera?), even his match play opponents admit that his presence only improves the game.

Top Woods sponsor Nike (NKE) on Feb. 25 debuted a humorous new 60-second commercial celebrating Woods' return to the tour, a while-the-Tiger's-away-the-mice-will-play send-up starring Anthony Kim, Trevor Immelman, Stewart Cink and other golfers that will air on the Golf Channel and ESPN through Mar. 1. Per rumors heard at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando earlier this month, Nike also plans to distribute thousands of Tiger-red T-Shirts proclaiming "Sundays are Back" at the tournament site. Bloomberg News even speculated that the Golf Channel "may include an on-screen icon during programming…that counts down to Woods' return." Along with counting down, the golf world will be watching Woods' knee—and holding its breath.

2. Who Else Can Cause the "Tiger Effect?"
We didn't need the overwhelming worldwide reaction to Woods' return to prove that Tiger has the ability to singlehandedly make or break the business of professional golf. No other athlete in history has enjoyed Woods' ability to bring in the casual fan, elevate ratings and attendance, and sell lots of merchandise.

However, other athletes can singlehandedly move that needle—especially those who showcase their skills in sports that are below the radar compared to the NFL, NBA, and MLB. Here's a comparative case in point.

The "Tiger Effect"

• CBS reported a 48% drop in ratings for its coverage of last summer's AT&T National, an event that Woods normally hosts and plays in.

• ABC reported a 14.6% drop in its ratings for the 2008 British Open despite Greg Norman's unexpected lead going into the final day of the tournament.

• Woods has been credited for helping to make Nike Golf one of the leading golf apparel and equipment companies in the world, with an estimated $600 million in sales.

• Ticket sales for this week's WGC-Accenture Match Play were down $400,000 from last year before Woods made his comeback announcement.