.
Tiger Woods out of the picture, TV ratings in the tank
Tour broadcasts feel the pain while Tiger Woods recovers from surgery. Even the British Open can't hold audiences, and there are worries about a Woods-less PGA Championship and Ryder Cup.
By Thomas Bonk
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
July 22, 2008
It's all a matter of perspective. The PGA Tour and its truckload of sponsors aren't even asking you not to touch that dial on your television; they're asking you to make sure the set is turned on in the first place.
The Absent Tiger Factor is here and it's awful to behold.
Case 1: Buick Open. The first event of three events so far that Woods would have played but missed because of his knee surgery. The overnight rating on CBS for the fourth round was down 12%, from a 1.7 to a 1.5.
Case 2: AT&T National. Worse. The overnight ratings for the fourth round on CBS were down 48%, from a 2.9 to a 1.5. Third-round ratings dipped 35%, from a 2.0 to a 1.3.
Case 3: British Open. Not good. The overnight ratings for ABC's final round coverage Sunday fell 14.6%, from a 4.1 to a 3.5.
None of this is good news, despite the intriguing British Open story lines of Greg Norman trying to hold it together at age 53, and Padraig Harrington coming through to win his second consecutive Open title.
But with the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup -- two of pro golf's biggest titles -- still on the table, and both without Woods, you can be sure the PGA of America is keeping its fingers crossed for both of its prime properties.
And that's not even mentioning CBS and NBC, their broadcast partners.
TV update
The British Open will be an all-cable major beginning in 2010 and be carried only on ESPN, ending a 50-year association with ABC, according to SportsBusiness Journal. The seven-year deal is not yet finalized but reported to be around $25 million a year.
Chatter
Add forgettable quotes: From Ian Baker-Finch of TBS on the chances of perpetually poor closer Norman in the fourth round: "Can he erase all of those [bad] memories? No, he can't. But can he deal with them at 53 years of age? I think he can."
And add this one, too, from Bill Kratzert of TBS on Norman's chances -- before he shot 77: "You know what, the Shark has not gone away."
From Norman: "I can walk away from here being disappointed, but I can walk away from here with my head held high because I hung in there."
From Richard Johnson, who won the PGA Tour's U.S. Bank Championship on Sunday after ditching his old putter: "I gave it back to the manufacturer. I don't break clubs."
Kim collapse
At least it's gotten to the point that when Anthony Kim doesn't get the job done, it's surprising.
Anyway, the bad news for Kim is that he folded in the fourth round at Birkdale and closed with three straight bogeys when he had a chance to win the British Open in his first try. He wound up with a five-over 75 and tied for seventh.
The good news for Kim, only 23, is that he banked $193,743.48, in his attempt to become just the 11th to win the Open in his first try and the fourth since Ben Hogan in 1953 at Carnoustie. The other three who've done that since Hogan are Tony Lema in 1964 at St. Andrews, Tom Watson in 1975 at Carnoustie and Ben Curtis in 2003 at Sandwich.
The other good news for Kim is that his bank account is swelling. He's made $2.42 million of his $3.45 million this year in only three tournaments -- winning at the Wachovia and the AT&T National, plus the British.
Numbers
160,000 -- The four-day crowd estimate for the British Open at Birkdale -- or roughly what Augusta National has on Tuesday and Wednesday for the Masters' practice rounds.
$103 million -- Norman's reported divorce settlement with ex-wife Laura.
50% -- Harrington's own estimation the day before the British Open started on his chances to finish all four rounds.
4 -- Number of Harrington's PGA Tour victories.
16 -- Number of Harrington's international victories.
23 under -- R. W. Eaks' score that won the 3M Championship, the third lowest 54-hole total in Champions Tour history in relation to par.
$1.4 million -- Bernard Langer's total earnings on the Champions Tour in 13 tournaments so far this year, more money than he made in any of the 28 years on the PGA Tour except for his $1.8 million in 2001.
64 -- Johnson's closing round at the U.S. Bank Championship, the lowest fourth round by a winner since Woods' 63 at the BMW Championship last September.
7 -- First-time winners this year on the PGA Tour (Brian Gay, Greg Kraft, Andres Romero, Johnson Wagner, Kim, Ryuji Imada, Johnson.)
Ryder Cupdate
What do Kim, Boo Weekley, Woody Austin, Hunter Mahan and Steve Stricker have in common? They're all in the top 11 in Ryder Cup points and none of them have played the Ryder Cup before.
Wie collapse
Just when she seemed to be getting her act together, Michelle Wie's disqualification for leaving the scorer's area before signing her score card is a monumental goof. She was just one shot out of the lead after three rounds and well within reach of a paycheck that probably would have been big enough for a ticket to the LPGA Tour in 2009.
Wie, who was also disqualified in her professional tournament debut for taking an illegal drop, saw her ranking drop six places to 244th. That's 160 places behind Stacey Lewis, who has played three events as a professional.
Wie has accepted a sponsor's exemption into the PGA Tour's $3-million Reno-Tahoe Open later this month -- her first PGA Tour event since last year's Sony Open. Anyone think she'll forget to sign her score card?
She's back
Lorena Ochoa, who hasn't played since she faltered to a tie for 31st at the U.S. Women's Open four weeks ago, returns from some time off to play this week's Evian Masters in France.
The $3.25-million tournament will also feature Annika Sorenstam and defending champion Natalie Gulbis, whose victory a year ago is her only win on the LPGA Tour.
And next week, the fourth and final major of the year will be played, the Ricoh Women's British Open, at Sunningdale, England. Ochoa is the defending champion in a loaded field that also includes Sorenstam, Paula Creamer, Suzann Pettersen, U.S. Women's Open winner Inbee Park and LPGA Championship winner Yani Tseng.
He's on his way
That would be Colt Knost, who punched his ticket to the PGA Tour in 2009 with a victory at the Nationwide Tour's Price Cutter Charity Classic. Knost has earned $253,628 for second on the money list when the top 25 earn PGA Tour cards.
Knost, who was criticized for turning pro and passing up chances to play the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open as the U.S. Amateur champion, said it has all worked out.
"It's nice to live up to what I was supposed to do," he said.
