ORLANDO – On Sunday, the World Cup final pitting Argentina against France will be the main event in the world of sports. Or will it? Padraig Harrington, for one, thinks Tiger Woods playing with son Charlie in the final round of the PNC Championship could steal its thunder.
“I’m so disappointed that the World Cup Final is on 9 o’clock on Sunday morning. I believe it’s 9 o’clock Eastern Time,” he said. Actually, the pre-game show starts at 9 and the game begins at 10 ET. “I really wanted it to be on mid-afternoon at 3 o’clock going up against the PNC Championship because I think Tiger might win over on the TV ratings to the World Cup. That’s the difference he’s made to golf.”
Tiger is the needle in golf and his very presence guarantees a strong TV rating for this week’s Silly Season event, which will be broadcast on NBC/Golf Channel/Peacock. Add in the fact that he’s played only nine competitive rounds and there’s pent-up demand to see Tiger, not to mention Charlie, who shot 67 in a junior tournament not long ago. Team Woods finished second last year behind John Daly and his son and could be a force to be reckoned with at this tournament for years to come. Harrington pointed out that Tiger’s various comeback tours have captivated golf fans like never before.
“It’s bigger than it was when he was in his heyday. So back in 2000s, 2005, whatever, big star, unbelievable, huge crowds, great vibe. But when he came back in like (2018), I’m trying to think when he came back to Valspar (in Tampa) that time, there was definitely a different feeling. There was people coming out, grandparents coming out because they’d seen Tiger. Their children. And then the young kids were being brought out for a once-in-a-lifetime, maybe you’ll never see him again,” Harrington explained.
“There really was a different atmosphere to a Tiger event. It is incredible that you think he could – he actually got – like you can tell now, like you can definitely tell where he is on the golf course. Everything about Tiger on the golf course, it is a different vibe than it was. It was big back then, but I don’t know, there’s an emotion to the crowd. They’re not just excited about the great shots, which is I think what they would have been 15 years ago, there’s a genuine emotion about they want to see him, they love him. They love the whole thing, the atmosphere.”
In other words, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe are lucky they aren’t going head-to-head with Tiger and Charlie. They might not stand a chance.
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