This is why Jim Nantz, Nick Faldo, TV executives and the PGA Tour got all excited Sunday.

The Tiger Effect was in overdrive. Tiger Woods’ victory saw CBS pull in a 3.8 rating for the final round of the Memorial Sunday. That’s up a whopping 138 percent from last year’s tournament, won by Steve Stricker. Yes, 138 percent.

The telecast peaked with a 5.7 rating. That simply is huge for a non-major golf tournament.

People watch because Woods showed he still is capable of delivering moments for the ages. As Gary McCord said, that chip on 16 was “sick.”

Nantz gushed:  “This is the one moment people have been waiting for for three years.”

Later, he said: “Is Tiger back? He certainly looked like it big-time today.”

I’m not so sure that Woods is completely back to who he was. He needs some strong showings in the majors to put the official stamp on that statement.

But it sure was fun to see a glimmer of the old Tiger Sunday. And look for NBC to hype him to death for next week’s U.S. Open.