She analyzed a decade's worth of PGA events, controlling for variables like weather, course difficulty, prize money—even the distracting crowds and media at a Tiger tournament. And she found that when Tiger was in the hunt, other golfers scored 0.8 strokes higher—that is, almost one stroke worse—than they otherwise would have over a four-round tournament. And one stroke can be the difference between congratulations and condolences.

 

The effect was strongest for top-ranked players—the ones competing directly with Tiger for the big money. In fact, Brown calculates that Woods has raked in an extra $6 million dollars in winnings through this fear factor alone. Her analysis appears in the Journal of Political Economy. 

 

Tiger's halo of intimidation DOES wane in years when his performance slumps. But with a big tournament victory last week—his first in two years—it might not be long before his competitors are once again in the rough.

 

Thanks for the minute. For Scientific American's 60-Second Science, I'm Christopher Intagliata.