As if you needed proof that Tiger Woods is good for the game of golf, more evidence was provided after the overnight ratings came in for the 2012 U.S. Open that finds significant numbers for NBC.
US Open on NBC gets a 2.1 overnight rating for its 2 hrs of 1st round coverage yesterday, best in 6 years, up 50% from last year.
— darren rovell (@darrenrovell) June 15, 2012
The bottom line here is that people pay attention when Tiger is involved. Now that he's competitive once again and searching for his first major win since 2008 (also the U.S. Open that season), ratings are up and should continue to rise as long as Tiger is in the mix.
The golfer has his detractors and certainly there are many other notable names people are rooting for, but his presence is good for not only the dollars and cents that come from these events but for the game of golf in general. Expect NBC to trumpet Tiger all over their networks as they head into the weekend.
For all your news and updates in the run up to the 2012 U.S. Open at Olympic, visit SB Nation's dedicated golf hub. Be sure to head over to USOpen.com for even more coverage from the event