Does Golf Need Tiger Woods?

They say they can thrive without him.

What is golf without Tiger Woods? That's the question being asked by the PGA Tour and the networks that televise tournaments, who face a steep drop in viewership without the embattled philanderer.

For the past few months, ever since he bubbled up in the middle of a sex scandal and went to rehab, Tiger Woods has been away from the game of golf, much to the dismay of the PGA Tour and tv networks like CBS.

His personal problems aside, Tiger is widely considered the most dynamic golfer of his generation.

And when he plays, people watch.

According to analysts, tournaments with Woods in play see ratings go up as high as 50%. Take that away from the dozen or so tourneys he would have played in this year, and that equals a $10 to $20 million loss.

Still, the networks (like CBS, which will broadcast The Masters in April) believe they can get by without him.

"We're all looking forward to him coming back, but until then we're doing perfectly fine," said Sean McManus, president of CBS Sports.

"Golf does better economically when Tiger is a major force on the PGA tour," he added, "but golf is still a valuable product for us."

Well, for golf fans at least, let's hope they can pool together a few stars to keep the game afloat until Tiger gets back. And from what he said at his recent press conference, who knows when that will be.