Are Young Guns Building Television Ratings?

In a totally random example, for the first time in over a decade, no one is wondering if Tiger or Phil is going to show up at, say, the Northern Trust Open. But Rory McIlroy is and Jordan Spieth will likely play, so when you mention that to most fans, that's shifted to the answer people are hoping to hear.

But do they translate to better television ratings that ultimately pay most of the PGA Tour bills? That's been debatable, but in an interview with Larry Fine of Reuters, Golf Channel president Mike McCarley says the network hosting the Olympic coverage this year believes the numbers do not lie.

The 2015 first quarter ratings for Golf Channel were down 14 percent compared to the year before, but momentum shifted with Spieth's win at the Masters.

The second quarter showed a gain of 3 percent over the year before and grew to an increase of 8 percent in the next quarter before booming to a 13 percent year-ago gain in the last period.

McCarley noted a competitive parallel in the women's game with the rise of 18-year-old Lydia Ko of New Zealand as world number one and a natural rivalry with American Lexi Thompson, the 20-year-old world number four.

"Looking ahead, 2016 is shaping up as a transformational year for the game of golf," he said.