The angst Tiger Woods displayed in the wake of his pratfall last weekend at the Bridgestone Invitational may be nothing compared to the unease sweeping over network execs, advertisers and the handful of sponsors who have stuck with him. While ad buyers locked in months ago and remain in place for this weekend’s PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis., his struggles have produced a string of ratings bogeys and put the long-term confidence of marketers and both sides of the advertising fairway into the rough. How bad has it gotten for Woods? The primary lure for viewers could be the “train wreck” factor. The PGA has seen viewership for overall Sunday final rounds at major tournaments tumble 6% season-to-date. That was driven by a much-weaker British Open (down to 2.97 million from 5.55 million) on ESPN, according to Nielsen. With Woods licking his wounds and sitting out the first quarter this year, golf programming on network TV fetched $117 million — down from $125.2 million in the same period of 2009 — according to data from research firm Kantar Media. As for cable’s Golf Channel, SNL Kagan analyst Derek Baine said he expects ad revenue could end up as much as 20% down this year from last year’s $140 million thanks to Woods’ woes.  — The Hollywood Reporter

After a seven issue hiatus, Golf Digest has resumed its editorial relationship with Tiger Woods. CNBC has learned that the golf publication, which suspended the golfer’s monthly instructional tips on Dec. 21, includes tips by Woods in the September issue, which hits newsstands today. “We have had a long-term exclusive relationship with Tiger that stretches back to his first year as a professional,” said Golf Digest spokesman Bret Hopman, in a statement given to CNBC. “He’s back playing regularly now, so we have mutually agreed to publish his bylined pieces on a monthly basis.” — CNBC