By Larry Fine
(Reuters) - A changing of the guard in professional golf is in full swing and early returns show that the sport's young guns are drawing viewers even as Tiger Woods fades from the spotlight, says Golf Channel president Mike McCarley.
"2015 is going to match the highest-rated year ever on Golf Channel, matching 2013, the year in which Tiger won five times," McCarley told Reuters in an interview.
That was 20-year-old Golf Channel's previous high-water mark in terms of television ratings and the last splash from Woods, who won five of 16 tournaments he played in 2013 and was named PGA Tour Player of the Year for a remarkable 11th time.