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Yes, better press conference than he's given in years - lets face it most sportsman are schooled in the art of being bland - but in recent months he's still behaved like he's bigger than the PGA Tour and the global corporations that will bankroll his future divorce :-)

But anyone who sees him as 'favourite' is a shrewd bookie looking for mugs to take a punt. He'll be closer to the cut than another jacket imho.

First of all, thank goodness there is a blog on golf that is not from Ian Carter. Secondly, it's great to have Tiger back playing golf.

I think the blog highlights all the important issues around Tiger and the Masters this year. I had never thought of Tiger's phases before, interesting.

I hope he wins, should help shut up all the ill wishers out there.

Tiger Woods is the only reason I watch golf. He is an amazing golfer. Too bad he messed up his personal life. I hope he does well at the Masters. He has lots to make up for, but other sports figures have managed. His interview went well I thought.

Rob:

I am glad, that Tiger Woods has his sights on Augusta...

(Dennis Junior)

I wish Tiger all the best because i cant imagine how golf will look like if he was forced into retirement by the media, thank goodness that he resisted them

Tiger is the best golfer of all time...end of. Yes, he has messed up his personal life, but he has come back, as Rob says, without the arrogance. Hopefully this is a sign of more great things to come from the legend of golf.

I'm sorry but if Tiger Woods is the only reason you watch golf, then you are not a golf fan... though maybe you do not profess to be!

Great to have Tiger back. Unfortunately he made some bad decisions that affected his life he controlled so tightly, and he paid a costly price. I watched the press conference yesterday, and was struck at how happy he looked. A Tiger woods 'one word answer' press conference must have been the last thing on his mind after playing "badly", he seemed at peace with himself, and answered all the questions put to him in a humble and appreciative manner. I personally think he will win this week, possibly by 4/5 shots.

His record as a golfist is exemplory, granted, but Eldrick isn't fit to carry Jack's clubs. Quite frankly all this fuss will be quite irritating for his fellow pros who actually have a chance of winning.

Rob,

Thank you.
Thank you for writing an interesting and informative piece about Tiger.
Thank you for providing some insight and comment on actually being there.
And thank you for putting the whole story of his 'transgressions' and his 'comeback' into proper perspective, with a definitive tone of balance, fairness, and respect for what Tiger (whichever Mark he appears as now) has bought to the game of Golf.
I think your comments more fairly reflect the actual opinion and thoughts of the majority of the golf-interested public.
I for one, hope he wins and wins massively.

Iain Carter should take note.

"This time, though, it was delivered with hubris.".... Don't you mean WITHOUT hubris?

On a lighter note, did anyone else notice that the guy in the press conference next to Tiger was Jaws from the James Bond films? When they stood up at the end he was at least 4 inches TALLER than TW who I thought was a pretty big guy himself?

After all, Jaws always was an assistant to the chief villain who was normally plotting world domination.....

Anyway, perhaps i've gone too far now

. At 09:36am on 06 Apr 2010, vussey wrote:
His record as a golfist is exemplory, granted, but Eldrick isn't fit to carry Jack's clubs. Quite frankly all this fuss will be quite irritating for his fellow pros who actually have a chance of winning.
.........................................................................
Yeah right! Perhaps if you repeat it loudly a few times, it could be true...now address to toothfairy...JACK IS BETTER THAN ELDRICK, JACK IS BETTER THAN ELDRICK. Feel better now?
Tiger (Eldrick to you) is a better golfer than anyone that has ever played the game. If he plays to his 40s, he will surpass most of Jack's records. He is in his early 30s, and he is already close to the most major wins. Too bad Jack will have to find another bag carrier, as this one has another 10+ Majors to win!

Somebody should have sent Tiger the Alan Clark diaries before he embarked on all this sack cloth and ashes cobblers.

I really find it amusing how the people who don't like him will call him "Eldrick" to annoy him as if he is going to read this blog.

"It's not about championships. It's about how you live your life."

So is that why Tiger is returning at the Masters and not some lesser event? Tiger's genuine contrition, or otherwise, is impossible to judge for all we distant observers, but his decision to return at the Masters at the very least suggests an enduring steeliness that is at odds with the new humble public persona and appears to stand contrary to his above statement.

At least one of his eyes is still on the personal prize notwithstanding ostensible self effacement.

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You're right Tony Cox...obviously people don't know the meaning of words they use, they sure got hubris back to front! Or did they?
Can't imagine what golf without Tiger Woods will be like? If you are a golf fan you'll find out in 10/15 years and i'll wager it'll be just as great to watch then as it is now....
Tiger made the choices that wrecked his life, now he has to live with it, as does his wife and family!! I know where my sympathies lay.....
A DEFINATE GOLF LOVER

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Firstly, a nice well written informative blog.
Secondly in response to "not fit to carry jack's bag" I'd agree, probably Toms and Garrys too. While I can't argue with the fact that Tiger is probably the best, he certainly is not the greatest golfer to have walked the planet, I'd place many many golfers above him on that particular list.
Thirdly, it's a shame he's chosen the relative security of Augusta National to make his comeback, we all know that the rules around who's allowed in are so tight that nobody would dare misbehave for fear of a lifetime ban, spectators even get thrown out for running, so no heckling there then.
Finally, who in their right mind would cheat on Elin???? She's stunning!

Some of you really dislike Tiger that is blatantly obvious but he is the greatest golfer ever. Even your dearest Jack has stated such so us all a favour and take a leaf of Tigers book face facts and move on. Mediocre golfers should thank him for allowing them to acquire a fortune without winning anything. Since his arrival prize money and golf has grown sizeably.

Two words - John Daly, two more words - Nick Faldo. Both of these guys, amongst many more I'm sure, have been renowned womanisers. This didn't affect their public appeal and nor should it detract from tiger's placing in the history of golf.

He is the best there has been, bar none, and has moved the whole game of golf to a new level. He has made obvious mistakes in his private life but I hope that the result of this isn't to the detriment of his game or his ability to win golf tournaments in the impressive fashion that we know.

I wouldn't say I'm a tiger lover but I am in great respect of his golf game and that is all we are surely interested in with our sports people - that they perform in their chosen field

I've got to agree with cfcboy23, if the only reason someone watches golf is to see Woods they can't be a true golf fan. Golf is about frailties, weaknesses. Yes he probably is the best ball striker and under pressure one of the best putters but all golfers know the mind games that the game can play, on all but Woods. I do think that it is Woods that has created the fall in popularity of the sport and that is not due to his off course behaviour, at least that showed he is human.

I love the way he portarys himself as the victim. `Sex addiction' doesn't exist and the fact he went into rehab just makes the whole episode even more ridiculous.

He's a dull man playing a dull sport.

A number of things strike as we roll up for the first major.

a. There is little doubt that golf needs Tiger more than Tiger needs golf. It is has been interesting to note how the tournaments have been reported since the Tiger affair.
b. The Tiger affair has shown what can become of someone who looses his way. Tiger has shown alot of courage in trying to treat his addictions but frankly this now not news.
c. The ±«Óătv has wasted awful lot a ink covering this story over the last couple of days. I am so glad that our licence fee is being used to such a great extent.
d. Finally, Golf now should be the story. Tiger either needs to show the world of Golf why he was the sportsman of decade. If he can achieve those height his greatness will be unquestioned.

Great to have Tiger back he is the best, by far. I hope that he will be able to satisfy his need for adrenlin on the golf course, and not in other ways such as gambling

I along with many others would acknowledge the tremendous talent and skill of Tiger Woods, and it is good to see that he will be back displaying that skill at the Masters. The recent events surrounding his personal life should not detract from that and he should be allowed to move on. What I hope to see as a result of his rehabilitation is a man who values the spirit and ethos of the wonderful game which God has blessed him to play so well.

I hope we can look back in time at Tiger's career and respect a sporting Champion in the mould of the great Jack Nicklaus; surely our great game deserves that testimonial.

I'm glad he's back, but i took the tournaments he didnt play in as a great opportunity for the others to show who is indeed 2nd. I think Els is showing on form its probably him.
As someone said earlier if the only reason you watch Golf is because of Woods your more an Entertainment fan than a genuine Golf fan.

He's great for the game but not particularly good for the competition.

Words fail me sometimes. The guys on here saying "you are not a true golf fan" are the same old fuddy duddy types that stop people playing on golf courses without the "requisite" clothing. I've seen guys in bermuda shorts and dreadlocks play better than 50 year suited and booted hackers who try to boast about their expensive new clubs in the 19th hole. It's nothing more than a sport for the middle/upper classes... and whiney old men.

The very fact someone, who is not a "true golf fan", watches the sport because of a single golfer is proof enough that Woods has saved a dying sport and has an appeal that other golfers can only dream of having. He's the ONLY reason sponsorship is so high in the sport and this ties in with viewing figures.

. At 11:27am on 06 Apr 2010, Luke wrote:

Luke, what has this got to do with racism? you're an idiot.

I agree vjohn82.

It will be good to see him playing again, and the added excitement that will bring.

swellmap - totally agree with the sex addiction thing, what a joke

totally disagree with your second point, watch tigers chip in the masters 2005......dull?..you're an idiot.

I am glad that Tiger Woods said he will tone down his negative attitude on the golf course. But he also said that his positive outburts will be calmed down aswell. I really hope he still celebrates when he pulls of a great shot as so many people love his celebrations and his trademark fistpump. If the other pros had pulled off as many unbelievable shots as Tiger and as many clutch must make puts then they to would be celebrating aswell. Just aslong as it is not in another players face delibartley

"It was like watching Tiger Woods, but without the front. The strut, the swagger, the arrogance - all gone." I think this is tripe, not gone just hidden. As anyone who has had any king of counselling will tell you, for the first few weeks one has a warm and fuzzy feeling and a great deal of optimism about the future. There is a certainty that none of the old mistakes will be repeated. The by product at this time is the tendency to constantly repeat all the learned mantras from the counselling which is what Woods does. To really do what he says he wants to do will mean a vast change in him as a person not just in his behaviour. Given his upbringing and his total lack of awareness of anything and anyone around him, this will be a very long road to travel. You have just got to appreciate the sheer scale of his actions stretching back over the last few years? In all the column inches devoted to comparing him to other rehabilitated celebrities their transgressions, call them what you will, come not even close to what this man has done. Since he has been found out, which was a total surprise to him, it has just been one long orchestrated public relations exercise aimed at getting the Woods money making machine back on track.

I don't know, obviously, where vjohn82 lives or plays his golf but I am a member of an Open Championship golf club which has one rule only and that is; not to offend any other member. With regard to expensive equipment it is the young men that boast about their clubs or their designer clothes. I've not seen any with dreadlocks admittedly. I am mid fifties and cannot stand the usual golfing attire and most people I know and play golf with don't wear it. So you see it's not the fifty plus fuddy duddys, its generally the working class snobs that are the pain. By the way my dad was a coal miner at the age of 14 when he left school!

Maybe I'm just a cynic, but yesterday's Tiger-Spin was another revolting example of today's superficial Corporate American culture. Tiger Woods is a commercial vehicle and when it comes to sincerity there is none. It was all me, me, me. And the trouble is that many misguided and deluded Americans today (the ones Dick Cavett correctly identified as people who would have voted GW Bush in for a third term and who now adore Sarah Palin) just believe anything they're told by FOX News and CNN or whatever stupid church they attend. In this case, this is The Masters, be on your best behaviour and tow the party line. What a crock! TW is a phony and no matter how well he plays golf, as a born-again, I won't be cheering for him.

I think vjohn82's got a point. I would not put it as brutal as he/she did, but it ties in with the chick who was on ±«Óătv news 24 yesterday saying Golf was a minor sport that punched above it's weight as a high proportion of the corporate world play it and therefore put their sponsorship into it.

She quoted golf having 58 million players worldwide, whereas Tennis has 120 million, but was seen as a lesser sport in terms of revenue and TV coverage.

Interesting stuff. Did a google search on the most watched sports, and whilst the info should probably carry a health warning as it was a quick search, I got back info that the 'Boat Race' came out with 9 million viewers, way ahead of the last day of the 2009 Open championship which apparantly had 6 million.

Who cares.. so he rooted around.. and why do people insist that golf is a sport.. it's a past time.. like darts as are any so called sports where you don;t have to exert much energy i.e. run

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Nick,

Yes i may of strayed off the topic of Tiger Woods comeback but i fail to see hoe this makes me an 'idiot'. Could you please explain?
I noticed your comments on 'Broken Britain' and the corrupt politicians we have in charge. I do not wish to quarrell with you as you are entitled to your opinion so i will respect that. Can i recommend looking up, Rob Menard and John Harris of the Freeman movement. This im sure will explain alot and the reasons why the country is so messed up.
In future i would appreciate instead of reporting comments you feel do not make sense. Talk to me and ill happily explain myself.
Thank

Luke

#41
Definitely an idiot now!

Same s**t, same smell!

in ref. to comment 39.... would you like to explain your reasoning behind why golf isn't a sport because i'm struggling to see...

sport: a physical activity governed by a set of rules often engaged in competitively.

thats the definition i found and from what i know, the golf swing is one of the most technical physical activities a person can undertake (to get it right), the rule book is as fat as tigers wallet and people start a competitive round every ten minutes at my local club, not to mention all the professional tournaments.

so if you would kindly point out the mistake(s) in my judgement that golf is a sport, that would be greatly appreciated.

p.s. this lot that say people who support tiger aren't proper golf fans, you make me laugh. If these so called 'real' golf fans shunt tiger because of something unrelated to golf, can they actually consider themselves what they claim to be...

Touche Robin Dawson,
Apparently the more you fool around the more attention you get. No matter how well he does in golf he will never enjoy the same esteem as Jack Nicklaus , Arnold Palmer etc. As for golf -- it existed before he came and will outlast him as well.

I too agree with cfcboy23.

For someone to profess that they only watch a sport because of one person is ridiculous. Tiger Woods has certainly elevated the popularity of the sport but he's just one player (albeit a very good one) in a very competitive sport.

I have been railing for many years about the negative impact that Woods has on golf - not all of it necessarily his fault. However, I much prefer it when he's not playing. The media (especially here in the US) fawn all over him and he dominates TV coverage, even when he's well off the pace or not even playing in the tournament in question. Clearly, the TV channels realise that his name pulls in the ratings and boy do they take advantage of it.

Also, irrespective of his behaviour away from the links, his on course antics have been disgraceful for years. Here, there seems to be two sets of rules - one for him and another for the rest. The scowling, club slamming/throwing, bad language and a general air of entitlement put me off. Other players get fined or suspended for this sort of nonsense. So, he may have an incredible record. However, for my money, he isn't fit to lace the golf shoes of some of the greats from the past such as Tom Watson, Jack Nicklaus, Snead and Palmer.

On a lighter note guys,when we hear those roars around Augusta, and invariably we will," In the hole Tiger " there will be roars of laughter,especially on this side of the pond.

Tiger woods is bigger than golf.

Standby for a moan!

I've had enough of Tiger's private life - the man was just sowing his oats that his lifestyle and previous commitments never let him do before. I feel sorry for his wife and family but sex addiction? Give me a break - there can't be many blokes out there who when faced with a gorgeous pornstar would say you know what thanks for the offer love but i just want to work on my lob wedge.
So let's just stick to the golf !
It looks like being a great Masters but please ±«Óătv do a good job of the coverage! I'm a fan of the Beeb but Sky make you look so amateur these days - Iain Carter will just annoy the players with his negative questions, Sam Torrance will state the bloomin obvious and still get it wrong and Peter Alliss (who I like) will disagree with anyone who doesn't see his opinion.
AND.. the most talked about golf tournament in years and the ±«Óătv have a 1 hour preview at 11.40pm that will consist of just running highlights from last year and a few daft predictions - hopeless!!!!

Phew that's better...........

I am not a WUM,

definintion of Idiot: an utterly foolish or senseless person


If only you could see the irony in your statement there.
Ill leave you alone to play with your bat and ball.

I for one hopes he crashes and burns - The guy is an absolute disgrace to his sport, his fans, his sponsors but most of all to his wife and children. If he wanted the life of a single man he should never have married. BUT he wanted it all, the married life, the kids, the fame, the fortune the women. Golf will always be bigger than one person and IMO Woods is not fit to carry Jack's Arnie's or even Ernie's clubs.Just as a Leopard cannot change its spots, this Tiger will never change its stripes

This has to be the most anticipated sporting event in decades! I, for one, can’t wait to see Tiger playing again and have already booked my “sick” days for Thursday & Friday. Day four final grouping of Tiger/Else, or Tiger/Phil – can you even imagine that!!!
As for Tiger’s indiscretions – really don’t care as most men cheat at one point or another. Having said that though kudos to the lad for coming clean and seeking professional help!
Ps. Wonder if he ploughed Jameson (would have loved to see Tito’s reaction to that)…

I await with fevered anticipation Tiger walking up the last hole 4 stroke lead and taking the championship. He waves to the eager crowd, the signing of the card.............and whats this a tap on the shoulder from the doctors caravan inviting tiger for a drugs test. But surely tiger has said he hasnt taken drugs. Tiger would never lie he hasnt has he.........

Remember they can test for Human Growth Hormone now....go on you know it makes sense.