Taking nothing away from Tiger, but golf's popularity took the biggest boost ever 50 years ago with Arnie Palmer followed by Nicklaus, Travino and Player gunning it out every week for one championship or another. They were all highly talented, but also personable, approachable, down to earth guys who made people feel that golf was not simply a "rich man's" sport.
That is when the golf took off in both the public imagination and in actual numbers of people who took up the game. Their personalities caused purses to rise to the point where guys today who never win a tournament can become millionaires.
Tiger has been good for the sport, but I have to disagree that he contributed as much as those players from the mid 50s through 60s did.
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.
I've never had any interest in golf, but I think you're correct. You have to have some drama for a sport to be interesting, and the fact that there were several charismatic players competing made it interesting. The most popular time for boxing was when Ali, Foreman, Norton and Frazier were all fighting. The problem isn't Woods, it's that there isn't another charismatic player out there to challenge him, making a great duel.