Few have done more for the game of golf than Tiger Woods.
Not only was Tiger Woods largely responsible for the rapid growth of the game in the early 2000s, but he also took on the role of mentor to the next generation of golfers, helping the likes of Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler with their games.
The greatest golfer of all time is now in a new era of his career, especially after Woods announced his seventh back surgery to rule him out of action for the foreseeable future.
But Greg Norman, an old rival of Woods, had a different view of his impact on up-and-coming golfers. The Australian once said he was holding them back rather than helping them.
Why Greg Norman accused Tiger Woods of holding golf’s next generation back
Because of his greatness, Woods is constantly in the media spotlight. Even as he has been in and out of action, the conversation centered on when Woods could return.
The consensus was that golf needed Woods to boost its popularity with the mainstream media. But Norman had another view. He thought the attention Woods received was taking the shine away from the golfers who were currently having success.
Speaking on Golf WRX’s 19th Hole podcast in 2023, he said, “This might sound kind of strange, but what I’ll say is I really, in all honesty, I really don’t care what Tiger does with golf.
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“Golf probably needs him to some degree, but golf doesn’t need him, if you know what I mean, because there are so many other incredibly talented great young players out there.
“There’s probably a dozen of them, maybe even more, that are equal or if not way better than Tiger, and they can carry the baton of being the number one player in the world.
“So I get a little perplexed about and disappointed about how some of these guys get pushed into the background by the attention Tiger gets.
“I hope he does well. If he doesn’t do well, it doesn’t bother me. If he does do well, it doesn’t bother me.”
Norman could still be bitter about Woods’ ignoring his letter after he won the Masters, or his turning down an invitation to join LIV Golf. Norman and Woods have feuded since 1997, but on this occasion, he may well have been correct.
Greg Norman was proven right about Tiger Woods in 2025
The 2025 PGA Tour season proved the former LIV Golf CEO, Norman, exactly right. Golf is finally outgrowing its dependency on Woods to drive ratings. He’s no longer the engine driving the sport forwards.
In 2025, the PGA Tour’s weekend coverage on CBS and NBC saw a staggering 22% increase over the previous year. That’s in a season where Woods was sidelined with an Achilles injury, and now recovering from another back surgery.
Rory McIlroy’s Masters win was the most-watched day in Sky Sports history with a peak audience of 1.85 million, and Scottie Scheffler’s dominant 2025 helped CBS record its most-watched regular season since 2018.
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That’s helped by the fact that golf has finally reached the younger demographic. Participation among young adults, aged 18–34, reached an all-time high in 2025, helped by stars such as Bryson DeChambeau’s online following.
The rise of YouTube golf, McIlroy’s career grand slam and Scheffler’s performances have helped to usher in a post-Woods era. While Woods is still beloved in golf, the sport is no longer dependent on him.
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