WORLD sport’s one-man cash machine flies in to London today, triggering a potential spending frenzy across Britain and Ireland. Over the next three weeks, Tiger Woods could boost golf’s income in the British Isles by as much as £170 million, according to Professor Tom Cannon, Dean of Business at the University of Buckingham. He believes that the “Tiger effect” has more impact on the sporting economy than any other figure in sport — including David Beckham and Michael Schumacher.
The logic is easy to follow, with enthusiasts reminded to dash out for Tiger’s clothing range or his Nike golf balls, but his reach stretches even farther as Woods’s charisma drags the half-hearted and corporate clients into the world of golf.
The HSBC World Match Play Championship at Wentworth this weekend starts the trend, with advance ticket sales up 60 per cent, mainly thanks to Woods taking part for the first time since 1998. But the knock-on effect will be felt at the Ryder Cup the next weekend and then the World Golf Championship.
Cannon estimates that spending on golf equipment and clothing alone could be up by about £27 million, with sponsorship and hospitality increased by £3.6 million, plus £500,000 generated on travel and hotels by the extra 60,000 spectators who will join the usual throng at all three events. The Insider can hardly wait to buy his Tiger cap and see his Tiger balls sailing into the sunset.