This is pretty much everything you need to know about Tiger Woods’ stature in sports, and in particular what he means to golf.

Simply put, Woods is golf, at least in terms of how the average sports fan relates to it.

Me? I’m a die-hard. I’ll likely tune in every weekend to check the leader board of that weekend’s event. But I’m just as likely to keep right on clicking when Woods is not involved.

So you can imagine what happens when Woods is not on the radar screen. Of course, Woods was off the golf landscape for months after his near miraculous win on one leg in last June’s U.S. Open, which he won in a playoff over Rocco Mediate.

Tiger went under the knife shortly after taking another Major title, and was not heard from until a few weeks back.

But on Sunday that familiar red shirt was back on the prowl. Woods came from five shots off the pace to overtake Sean O’Hair and win the Arnold Palmer Invitational by a stroke. And of course he did with a flair that is Woods’ signature, with a birdie putt on 18 that hit nothing cut the center of the cup.

NBC Sports reports Woods’ victory notched a 4.9 overnight rating and a 10 share. That’s the highest TV audience for a golf tournament since last June’s Open. That’s right, the last time Woods was on the leader board on Sunday. Sunday’s telecast drew more viewers than the two majors – the British Open and PGA – held after Woods’ surgery last summer.

Two weeks from now, Woods will continue seeking his destiny as he tries to hunt down Jack Nicklaus’ record for wins in a major. It was once thought unthinkable. Now most believe it is simply a matter of when, not if.

As our old pal Terrell Owens used to say, get your popcorn ready. It figures to be quite a show.