IMO, as an endorsement value, Tiger to a significant extent transcends golf and even sports.
First, Tiger still has a very youthful look, so even if we were to grant your argument as to middle-aged endorsers, I don’t think that association applies to him, certainly not very strongly.
Second, Tiger’s phenomenal endorsement power is, in my opinion, due to the combination of two principal factors: (1) He is the dominant figure in golf, has been for many years, and in my view is more dominant than anyone who has ever played the game and (2) his racial make-up — we all know the importance of PC and diversity for advertisers and Fortune 500 companies, and Tiger brings perceived diversity to the brands he endorses, especially products traditionally associated with golf and the predominantly white suburban demographic that pays attention to golf.
Add to those factors a very photogenic and telegenic appearance, winning smile and so forth.
His heretofore wholesome image is certainly not unimportant, in my view, but it long predated his marriage and arose primarily from his personal story connected with his father and his appearance on the scene as a prominent golfer even in his teens, so people who follow golf kind of feel like they have seen Tiger grow up.
However, having gotten married and cheated has hurt him substantially, but after a while he will again be a dominant golfer and popular endorser, even if not at the stratospheric levels he achieved before the scandal.
So I think it is overly simplistic to try to force Tiger into neat categories such as merely “middle-aged” or merely a golf figure. I think his value as an endorser defies easy categorization like that.
I do maintain my position that if Tiger had remained a bachelor, his endorsement power would not be significantly different.
As a thought experiment, imagine if George Clooney, the notoriously randy bachelor, instead of Tiger had dominated the golf scene just as Tiger has these past few years. His bachelorhood would make little difference, in my view, as his golf dominance, handsome appearance and good humor would make him a huge endorsement value. The element he is missing is the diversity element, so I expect he would not reach Tiger levels, but not far down from that.
No way to know that. A lot of people think there's something SERIOUSLY wrong with him. Plus, will he be able to focus with the paparazzi stalking him for years to come?
Ummm, did you read the hooker's story about how Tiger was with her when "daddy" was dying? Then Tiger wanted to come back and "do" her some more? Even the hooker was surprised ...So much for that bullsh-t crap about father/son luv... The newest rumor is Tiger might have been using drugs to bulk himself up - surly that would affect your view of his marketability...
For me, it's looking like everything about him was a lie.