TaylorMade CEO: Tiger Woods Is Back 'In Great Form'
*By Michael Teich*
Tiger Woods hasn't won a major championship in more than a decade, but David Abeles, CEO of golf equipment and brand manufacturer TaylorMade, thinks the dry spell may end at the British Open this weekend.
"We turn the corner into Carnoustie, \[Scotland,\] which we think is a golf course that sets up very well for Tiger," Abeles told Cheddar on Tuesday. "He's in a great position right now to challenge."
Beginning July 19, the world's best players will tee off against each other at the British Open, the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. In addition to Woods, TaylorMade has a strong stable of players representing its brand at the eventーincluding world ranked #1 player Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, and Jason Day. Although Abeles said a win for any of these athletes would be good for business, only Woods can claim to have [boosted](https://www.pga.com/news/golf-buzz/tiger-effects-leads-highest-pga-tour-ratings-in-5-years) the PGA Tour's ratings to its highest level in five years.
Abeles also told Cheddar he expects companies Top Golf and Drive Shack will improve the overall popularity of the sport.
"It's the combination of game-ification and live experience and entertainment coming together in the format of golf," said Abeles. "That'll lead its way into more traditional golf and ultimately increase participation rates."
For the full segment, [click here.](https://cheddar.com/videos/taylormade-ceo-tiger-woods-in-great-position-to-win-british-open)
This week's Spring Training has been delayed as a result of the ongoing MLB Lockout. This past Saturday lead negotiators and lawyers from Major League Baseball and the players union met to discuss the economic hurdles needed to be cleared for a new labor deal, but from all accounts, it seems the sides are still far apart. Baseball Columnist and Publisher of "The Joe Sheehan" Baseball Newsletter, Joe Sheehan, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
The Super Bowl might be over, but people are still buzzing about the players, commercials, halftime show, and more. Google tracks the top searches before and after the game every year, revealing the show-stopping moments of the biggest sporting event of the year. Sadie Thoma, Director of US Creative Partnerships at Google, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the top trends this year.
Private equity firms are taking a big interest in investing in NBA teams, the sports league showing the highest ROI over the last two decades according to Sportico, Forbes, and PitchBook. Wylie Fernyhough, lead analys for private equity at PitchBook joined Cheddar News to discuss the way firms are looking to get a piece of the action on the court. “There’s a certain amount of rarity, with these," Fernyhough said. "They’re not exactly printing new NBA franchises."
Kyle Jaeger, senior editor for Marijuana Moment, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he explains why a stigma still exists for the cannabis industry in advertising and social media after NBC rejected Weedmaps' ad for the big game even though more states across the country are legalizing cannabis.
We know that the Los Angeles Rams emerged as Super Bowl champions, but the crypto industry also came out a winner on Sunday with several notable companies getting airtime in primetime. However, Richard Smith, author of the Risk Rituals Newsletter, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says the campaigns were a 'disappointment' and adds that crypto companies would be wiser spending their resources on creating value.
Drake gambled $1.3 million in Bitcoin on Sunday’s Super Bowl — and won. Some of the action that the rapper placed bets on included the LA Rams to win outright and Odell Beckham Jr. to score a touchdown.
In late January, NFT company Candy Digital cashed in when a Shohei Ohtani Icon NFT sold for $100,000, breaking the six-figure sale price mark for MLB NFTs for the first time. Scott Lawin, CEO of Candy Digital, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he explains why his company is very excited about the future of digital collectibles and how the Ohtani NFT sale shows consumer confidence in the marketplace.
The Bengals have been to the Super Bowl twice, but never managed to take the title. Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval joins Cheddar News to discuss what the win could mean for the city.
