LOS ANGELES — Since joining the PGA Tour in 1996, Tiger Woods has been golf’s transcendent figure, credited with expanding the sport’s television audience, fan base, tournament purses and sponsorship deals. Over the last six years, he has missed chunks of time because of personal travails and injuries, enabling the tour to test its preparedness for life after the gold rush.

Now Woods, 39, has taken another leave of absence with his game in shambles and his body on the mend, and the end of his long, lucrative run feels nearer than ever. The tour, a multibillion-dollar industry, does not lack accomplished players and colorful characters. But for all the skill and social media savvy of players like Rory McIlroy and Bubba Watson, can they captivate as many people as Woods, who raised the level of athleticism in the game while remaking a sport known for its mostly white country-club composition?

Appraising the tour’s post-Woods fortunes while he takes his third sabbatical in less than a year is like reading a tricky putt: There is no consensus. Bob Dorfman, the executive creative director of Baker Street Advertising, sees tough times ahead after Woods and his competitive foil, Phil Mickelson, 44, are no longer regulars on the PGA Tour.