Tiger Woods is a boon to golf, sponsors and broadcasters

A ROAR like this had not been heard on a golf course for almost a decade. It was the sound of fans cheering on Tiger Woods as he made crucial putts, pumped his fist and almost won a big tournament, the USPGA Championship, on August 12th. Although Mr Woods finished second there were cheers and fist-pumps off-camera, too, from network executives and his sponsors. They know that Tiger is back, and they know, too, that that is very good for business.

No individual athlete has as outsized an impact on the popularity of his sport as Mr Woods when he is in contention at a tournament. Nearly 8.5m Americans tuned in to watch the USPGA’s final round, according to Nielsen, a research outfit which measures viewership. That was 73% more viewers than for the same day a year ago, when Mr Woods did not take part. It was the biggest audience for the tournament since 2009, the last time Mr Woods had a chance to win it (another second-place finish).

That was just before his epic fall from grace—from front-page hero, a winner of 14 major golf championships, to lurid tabloid fodder over reports of serial infidelities, the break-up of his marriage and estrangement from some of his oldest friends in professional golf. He lost most of his endorsement deals, with firms such as AT&T and Procter & Gamble. When he tried to return, injuries set him back. He had four operations on his back. Many doubted he would ever win again, including Mr Woods himself.

Fans are not the only ones drawn to his comeback story (even if some relished the downfall that preceded it). Sponsors have begun to bet again on Mr Woods. In 2016 Bridgestone Golf signed a multi-year deal with the golfer. The chief executive of Bridgestone at the time compared Mr Woods to Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan in global appeal. Last year TaylorMade sealed a contract with Mr Woods to use its clubs. Nike, which stood by Mr Woods in the bad times, has a valuable clothing deal with him.

All these firms will be winners from his resurgence, even as sponsors of his competitors will be deprived of screen time, says Jeff Greenfield of C3 Metrics, an advertising-data firm: “The cameras are all on Tiger because the networks are not dumb.”

There will be other winners. Discovery has announced a streaming service to show American golf tournaments outside America, beginning next year. A rejuvenated Mr Woods will help sell that product. Broadcast networks will be able to earn more for advertisements. “We’re going to see rates surge like crazy,” Mr Greenfield says (by at least 35%, he reckons). They should enjoy the Tiger effect while it lasts. He is 42 years old. When he fades again, so will the fans’ cheers.