Does golf still need Tiger?

The TV ratings are in from Tiger’s return, and they prove that he is still a big draw for the game.

On Thursday, the Hero World Challenge drew a .86 rating (or about 786,000 viewers), which was up 190 percent from coverage of last year's event when Woods did not play. Remember this is a working day for an event in December, so viewing figures would never be astronomical, but the Tiger effect is clear to see.

According to NBC/Golf Channel, it’s still the most-watched first round of any tournament (excluding the Ryder Cup) since The Open. And it's also the most-watched fourth-quarter (Oct.-Dec.) round in Golf Channel history.

On Friday, the number dropped to .45, but that was still up 200 percent over last year. On Saturday, Golf Channel's live coverage was up 162 percent, while NBC's increased by 92 percent.

Finally on Sunday, Golf Channel's live coverage was up 126 percent, while NBC's increased by 54 percent. By the time NBC came on the air on Sunday, Woods had already fallen well out of contention.

So what is without doubt is that Tiger remains a big draw for golf viewers, and is still turning the dial.

Related:

Should golf introduce Red Cards?