Tiger Woods is bigger than ever in golf and he already was plenty big when he was winning at a rate never seen.
The Honda Classic broke its attendance record last week with a confirmed 224,624 spectators over seven days.
The tournament attributed the record increase to the return of Woods and the drama of a sudden-death playoff won by Justin Thomas.
It could have stopped after Woods. Not even Thomas would argue with that.
Television ratings for the PGA Tour event were up 43 per cent from the previous year, when Rickie Fowler won.
No surprise there, either.
Woods no longer moves the needle in golf. He is the needle.
Even when he finishes 12th.
What made 42-year-old Woods so compelling at PGA National was that he was only four shots behind going into the weekend, and that on the toughest course of the season.
Woods never shot worse than 71.
He still finished eight shots behind and was never closer than four shots of the lead over the back nine. The possibilities were there, just not the performance.
Not yet, anyway.
And perhaps that's why coverage of the Honda Classic - video, digital and print - touted results by Woods that were impressive, promising and everything in between, almost to a point that Thomas winning in clutch style was an afterthought.
Woods was pleased with how he played, all things considered, and there is a lot to consider - three back surgeries in a span of 18 months, and not knowing five months ago if he'd ever be able to compete at a high level, and playing against a full PGA Tour field for only the third time this year.
The winner of 14 major titles also knows how to keep score.
And that might explain the text message Woods sent to Thomas on Monday: "Don't worry about it. You're still the one holding the trophy."
Thomas was not the least bit surprised, nor concerned, about such an intense focus on Woods.
"I'd do the same thing," he said.
"I'd go watch Tiger Woods.
"I was out there trying to win a golf tournament.
"The fact people want to go watch Tiger Woods doesn't bother me.
"I don't blame them. He's earned that."
Golf is in a different place than when Woods picked up his 79th victory on the PGA Tour in August 2013, his most recent victory.
Thomas had just turned pro. Jordan Spieth had just earned a full PGA Tour card. Jon Rahm was going into his sophomore year at Arizona State. Since then, five players have taken turns at No. 1 in the world.
During his longest stretch out of golf with his bad back, the refrain was that golf needed Tiger Woods.
When he was on the verge of returning at the end of 2016, the talk was that golf was in a good spot and Woods could only make it that much better.
For the first few tournaments of his return, it has become Woods and everyone else.
The question leading to the Masters in April, and possibly beyond, is whether the rising tide lifts all ships or sinks them.
Meanwhile, Thomas will try to win his first World Golf Championships title this week in Mexico.
Dustin Johnson is the defending champion.
Woods has been out of golf too long to be eligible.
For the mainstream fans whom Woods brought to the game, will they even notice who wins?
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