Tiger Woods' announcement that he will return to golf at the Masters in three weeks makes sense because it allows him to return in the closest thing to a controlled environment that tournament golf allows.
The media attendance will be limited to the organizations that have already been credentialed meaning it will be essentially the same golf media that's at Augusta every year. Assuming Woods does a pre-tournament press conference, it will be managed by Augusta National and the gossip websites and television programs won't have access. That doesn't mean he won't get tough questions, but the vibe will be different.
It's also a place where the galleries are more likely to be respectful of Woods than at some other venues where the combination of beer, sunshine and boorish behavior could make it uncomfortable for not just Tiger but for some spectators, too.
Woods may hear a few catcalls at Augusta but not like at some other places. He's smart enough to know he's going to hear from the crowd whereever he plays but Augusta is different than every place else. I'm sure the basics of good behavior will be emphasized to everyone entering the gates.
It's great for golf that Woods is returning. Maybe this is the last phase of this long, ugly ordeal. Once Woods gets back on the golf course and his game can become the focus again, the quicker the rest of it will fade as he tries to move on. It will take a while, though. Just by playing again, the water is churned and it won't end with one tournament.
What happens if he plays the Quail Hollow Championship three weeks after the Masters? Or The Players Championship? Or The Memorial?
He could have chosen to play next week in Orlando at the Tavistock Cup and the Arnold Palmer Invitational but choosing the Masters figures to make his transition back into the public eye a little easier. Not easy. Just easier.
As for questions about whether he can win the Masters without having played a tournament since last fall, yes, he can win.
And wouldn't that be a story?
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Tiger Makes Right Call About The Masters
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4 comments:
Agreed. On all counts. Keep up the good golf writing Ron.
"It is also a place where the spectators will be more respectful of Tiger". Really? Tell us all how we should respect Woods just because you and many other writers are in love with him. Oh how I remember your writings about " He took us to places that we have never gone before". You betcha he did. To the gutter where he has lived for the last three or four years. Will you write about how he tried to wear all those pink ladies out because he said he was entitled to do that? Not a chance.
ok, you can get off you knees and get your lips off his butt anytime now or are they glued on?
Funny thing the Observer has links to nearly a dozen Tiger stories yet no more than a couple of comments on each, some without any.
More comments on a cyclist killed by a car.
The PGA Tour is the promoter of the game and the USGA the keeper I wonder if the USGA has a morals clause?
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