Tiger Woods’ disappointing withdrawal contributed to a minor dip in final-round viewers at the Genesis Invitational.
It was supposed to be the week that Tiger Woods announced himself back on the PGA Tour scene in his new Sun Day Red apparel with all systems go for The Masters in some 50 days time.
But ultimately it ended up leading to another lethargic withdrawal.
Woods’ third WD in his last five PGA Tour events also contributed significantly to a small dip in final-round viewing figures where the Genesis Invitational was concerned.
The 15-time major champion was forced to bow out of the tournament his Tiger Woods Foundation was hosting at famed Riviera midway through the second round on Friday.
Woods was wheeled off in a cart to the clubhouse and despite paramedics rushing to the scene the former World No.1 confirmed he had been suffering from a fever.
Luckily, dedicated fans of Woods can be reassured that his WD was not caused by any back or ankle injuries. “Woods was participating in his first official PGA Tour event in 10 months after taking time off to heal from ankle surgery that took place after the Masters last year.”
Tiger Woods WD leads to dip in Y-O-Y final-round viewers at the Genesis
According to Sports Business Journal’s Josh Carpenter, the final round of the Genesis Invitational on Sunday night drew 3.245m viewers on CBS.
Without Woods being present, either on the course or in the broadcast booth, to hand over the trophy to the winner, Hideki Matsuyama, the viewership for the final round of the 2023 Genesis Invitational decreased by 5%.
“Woods competed in the tournament’s last round last year and ended up finishing in 45th place, with Jon Rahm ultimately emerging as the champion.” “The final round of this year’s Genesis had a significantly higher viewership than the final round in 2022, which attracted 2.618 million viewers, much to the satisfaction of the PGA Tour.”
The latest information about PGA Tour viewership numbers was released following another instance where the tour was shown to have significantly more viewers compared to the LIV Golf League.