![](https://image-cdn.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/2022-07-15T175822Z_903106506_UP1EI7F1DX8M1_RTRMADP_3_GOLF-OPEN.jpg?width=600)
via Reuters
Golf – The 150th Open Championship – Old Course, St Andrews, Scotland, Britain – July 15, 2022 Tiger Woods of the U.S. acknowledges the fans after holing on the 18th and finishing his second round REUTERS/Russell Cheyne
![](https://image-cdn.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/2022-07-15T175822Z_903106506_UP1EI7F1DX8M1_RTRMADP_3_GOLF-OPEN.jpg?width=600)
via Reuters
Golf – The 150th Open Championship – Old Course, St Andrews, Scotland, Britain – July 15, 2022 Tiger Woods of the U.S. acknowledges the fans after holing on the 18th and finishing his second round REUTERS/Russell Cheyne
Big news from the Hero World Challenge! The opening round of this year’s tournament can now be deemed more successful than the previous years. And, it owes much of its success to none other than the legendary Tiger Woods! Moreover, with the PGA Tour pro making his comeback in the tournament, many were in hopes of catching the same on their TV.
The golfing world saw itself on the edge of its seats in the Albany Golf Club in the Bahamas owing to the unofficial event of the men’s circuit. What’s more, this anticipation led them to tune into the Woods-hosted competition, leading it to record the highest viewership in the last 6 years, much to the surprise of many!
Tiger Woods’ comeback sizzles the community
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Mr. T made a return to the sport after a break of seven months owing to his injuries and the resulting ankle surgery. Although the golfer was not able to pull off his best of rounds on the first day, scoring 3 over 75 at T18, his resurgence in the game did go ahead and break records in viewership numbers.
The PGAT’s unofficial event was able to draw in “497,000 viewers on Golf Channel.” However, the same competition in 2022 saw a total of 217,000 people tuning in to watch the same, thereby, making this year’s edition a much-successful one than last year, from last year, nothing short of a 100% increase.
This sudden increase can be, without a doubt, attributed to the Hall of Famer making a comeback to the sport. His return has now made it the ” best opening round for the event since 2017.” Although Mr. T’s revival in the game was not as glorious as it was intended to be by the pro, he did play a big role, if not the biggest, in bringing in a lot more people to watch the game, thereby making it more successful than its predecessors in the last six years.
Viewership is in for the opening round of the Hero World Challenge, and it's up big over last year.
First round drew 497,000 viewers on Golf Channel, up more than 100% from 217,000 last year.
It's the best opening round for the event since 2017. Tiger last played in 2019. pic.twitter.com/PKYltCpQSK
— Josh Carpenter (@JoshACarpenter) December 1, 2023
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However, during the record-breaking first day, the 15X major winner, in an interview, revealed how he felt he was “rusty” throughout the entire round. The tough conditions did not help since he couldn’t commit as well as the professional hoped for while confessing the soreness of his body, despite walking without any signs of limping before the event. Nevertheless, the distance that the athlete hit, 326 yards during the par-4 first hole, was more than enough to prove the “upper body power” that he was able to make use of.
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The 82X PGA Tour champ was able to fare better in the second round, scoring 70 (-2), pushing to the 15th place. One can hope he pulls off an even better performance on the greens in the coming days to showcase to the viewers a scintillating finish!
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