Tiger Woods, the golfing legend, was the most searched golfer this year, beating out golf sensation Paige Spiranac with Scottie Sheffler not even mentioned.
Tiger Woods continues to show how dominant he is off the course. Despite playing in only three tournaments this year, the golfing legend still was head and shoulders above the rest of the peers in one aspect this year.
According to Vegas Insider, the 47-year-old was the most Googled golfer in 42 of the 50 states in the US. It makes sense that Woods would be the most searched-for golfer on Google given his nearly 10 million social media followers—6.5 million on X, a platform that was formerly Twitter, and an additional 3.3 million on Instagram.
The next most searched-for golfer after Woods was Paige Spiranac, the rising star on the game. Spiranac frequently dazzles her fans with her wardrobe choices and superb shot-making and analysis of the game, which has contributed to the spread of golf’s popularity.
Spiranac has over four million social media followers as a result of her exploits on the links; 3.9 million of those followers come from Instagram, and nearly one million come from X. As a result, in Alaska, Arkansas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, Spiranac was the golfer most frequently searched for.
Keegan Bradley, Rickie Fowler, Tom Hoge, and Tony Finau—each with one state—rounded out the list. In Vermont, Fowler was the most searched-for golfer, Hoge in North Dakota, Bradley in Vermont, and Finau in Utah.
Among the other names that were looked up but not thoroughly were Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, Justin Thomas, and Wyndham Clark. It’s interesting to note that the world’s top golfer, Scottie Scheffler, was not included in the list of golfers who were searched for the most this year.
Scheffler was never ranked, despite the fact that golfers like Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa made the list at least once, finishing first, second, or third, depending on the state. To put things in perspective, 23 states had the third-most searches for golfer Rory McIlroy, the third-ranked player in the world.
The fact that Woods, Spiranac, and McIlroy dominated the golfing world in terms of social media presence is one of the reasons why they all had more remarkable search numbers than Scheffler. In addition to his interactions with the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, Woods, a 15-time major winner, frequently found himself at the forefront of social media discourse, attracting memes and fans who were curious about the legend’s activities and the events he would be participating in.
Spiranac, on the other hand, has usually gained her fan base by using her influence. As a result, she was crowned the “sexiest woman in the world” in 2022, and her amusing YouTube videos and social media posts have elevated the game.
While this was going on, McIlroy, like Woods, gained perhaps the most notoriety for himself by vocally opposing LIV Golf—even after No. 3 Jon Rahm moved to the Saudi Arabian-sponsored circuit.
Overall, it’s understandable that Woods, Spiranac, and McIlroy are the most popular golfers on social media, but it’s concerning that Scheffler isn’t even among the most searched golfers in the US. Scheffler’s position—or lack thereof—makes sense, though, given the aforementioned trio’s social media presence and capacity to endure in popular culture.
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