Even when he’s not in the field, like at the Masters this week, Tiger Woods is still a hot topic all over the golf world.
How hot? Well, if you talk with Johnny Avello, DraftKings Head of Race and Sportsbook, Woods is usually in the conversation.
“We certainly wish him the best in his recovery,” Avello said. “It’s certainly not the same without him…especially this week.”
While the PGA Tour is focused on the Masters and how the field will approach this week’s event, the golf world in general still has Woods firmly entrenched in the back of their minds.
DraftKings Survey Says: Tiger Is The Man
DraftKings did a survey of 1,000 golf fans, and the results won’t come as a shock to many. Here are a few of the findings:
- Nearly half of those responding (48 percent) feel Woods will have the strongest impact on the game once he heals from his February car crash and starts swinging the club again. (Dustin Johnson was at 19 percent and Bryson DeChambeau was at nine percent).
- More than half (51 percent) feel Woods’ comeback will include another Masters victory.
- And once it was known Woods would be sidelined for this year’s event, about a quarter of those responding (23 percent) are less interested in watching.
“The survey showed a lot,” Avello said. “It shows how much of an impact he’s had on the sport.”
No matter which side of those percentages you’re on, there are a couple of things that are certainties when it comes to Woods: Whether he makes a comeback or not is irrelevant. Whether he makes another swing on the PGA Tour or not is irrelevant. He’s more than left his mark on the sport.
For PGA Tour Pros: More Money
Just ask anyone who’s cashed a paycheck on the PGA Tour. When Woods won his first PGA Tour title, in Las Vegas in 1996, his first-place check was for $297,000. At that same event in 2021, the top prize was almost $1 million more, an impressive $1.26 million.
He’s made an impact, he’s created a legacy and whether he comes back or not, his name will come up very early (if not first) in every conversation when it comes to the best of all time.
There is also at least one other interesting number when it comes to viewership.
“Fifty-eight percent are saying he won’t have an impact on their viewing of the Masters this year,” Avello said. “That just shows the golfers today have their own following. DeChambeau, Rory, Koepka…they all have their following, too.”
Survey: A Woods Return Good For Golf, Betting Sites
But, there’s always plenty of eyes–and money–on Woods.
“The survey also said some people feel Tiger will be back again and win another Masters,” Avello said. “Even though Tiger won’t be around for this one, he will be back.”
And Avello added that’s great news for bettors…and for places like DraftKings.
“Whether Jack (Nicklaus) or Tiger is the GOAT is objective,” Avello said. “But as a betting operator for many, many years, I feel Tiger has made golf betting what it is today. And that’s all based on what he’s brought to the game.”
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