See what I wrote in 27. I don't think that Tiger is any "bigger" than Arnie or Jack were in their days, but there was a long period of time when golf didn't have a "superstar" to capture public attention. And you're right, the guys like Palmer and Nicklaus proved that it wasn't a rich man's game, but I think everyone was amazed that someone would come along and immediately prove to the world that it wasn't just a "white man's" game either.
Well, that was the media template when Tiger turned pro, but sadly for them, Tiger refused to play the race card even when that jerk Fuzzy dealt him a royal flush.
What amazed me was that he turned pro and immediately dominated the field like no one had done since Byron Nelson during the talent short war years. Apparently the pros who followed Tiger as an amateur were not at all surprised. They knew how good he was.
But for all of his talent, I don't think he has has near the impact on the game as Palmer had in the 50s. The vast majority of people who follow Tiger around the course are people who would be following someone else if Tiger weren't there. Arnie brought an entirely new legion of golf fans out.