This is definitely the reality among all of the people I encounter in my normal life. Of all my golf friends, myself included, I can only think of ONE of us who watched tournaments regularly this year that Tiger wasn't playing in. And he really has NOTHING better to do
Is golf particularly "hip" and "fashionable" in Europe? It's somewhat popular in the states but NOBODY watches it that isn't a pretty hardcore addict. And like I said, a lot of the people I know who play DON'T watch tournaments. I myself have not watched more than 30 minutes, collectively, of any tournament that Tiger wasn't playing in this year. Though by the time the Frys.com came around, I had lost interest in watching golf entirely. Not 1 second.
eClark's comment was not far off from what I'd guess. But you have to understand, MOST of the american population is very ignorant, xenophobic, and probably drunk, so their opinions on what's worth paying attention to are not very worthwhile.