Tiger Woods finally ended speculation about his return to professional play yesterday, announcing he would make his comeback next month at the Masters.
In a statement released via his website, Woods said: "The Masters is where I won my first major, and I view this tournament with great respect. After a long and necessary time away from the game, I feel like I'm ready to start my season at Augusta.
"The major championships have always been a special focus in my career and, as a professional, I think Augusta is where I need to be, even though it's been awhile since I last played.
"I have undergone almost two months of inpatient therapy, and I am continuing my treatment. Although I'm returning to competition, I still have a lot of work to do in my personal life.”
The return of golf's most famous son brings to a close a five month period of mind-boggling disarray that has seen Woods' carefully cultivated image as a clean-cut family man shredded. Following a car crash in the early hours of a November morning, the cause of which remains shrouded in mystery even now, revelations of multiple infidelities forced Woods to take time out from the sport and eventually offer a televised apology.
In that act of contrition, Woods had suggested that a speedy return to golf was not top of the 34-year-old's priorities, revealing that he was to return to therapy. But, just a week after that sorrowful appearance, Woods was seen practicing on his local driving range.
The news that the world No. 1 was seen practicing with swing coach Hank Haney last week added credence to rumours that Woods’ return was imminent, with both the Tavistock Cup and the Arnold Palmer Invitational considered potential venues for Woods' reappearance.
In yesterday's statement, Woods explained why he chose to return at the Masters, thus: "When I finally got into a position to think about competitive golf again, it became apparent to me that the Masters would be the earliest I could play. I called both Joe Lewis and Arnold Palmer and expressed my regrets for not attending the Tavistock Cup and the Arnold Palmer Invitational. I again want to thank them both for their support and their understanding. Those are fantastic tournaments, and I look forward to competing in them again."
Woods may have other reasons for making his 2010 debut at the Masters, of course - the Augusta event which takes place between the 8th and 11th of April probably offers Woods the most controlled arena of any professional golf tournament. Whether you're a journalist or spectator, it's notoriously difficult to gain entry to the competition.
Any member of the public who heckles Woods will be immediately escorted from the course, and questions from journalists unrelated to golfing matters are unlikely to be tolerated - while the mainstream reporters eager to grill Woods will be unable to gain entry to the event anyway.
That's not to say that Woods won't eventually face more testing conditions from both the media and the fans, but the impact may at least be diluted if they appear after Woods has already made a successful comeback. Whether a successful comeback is assured is another matter - after the death of his father, Earl, in 2006, Woods took nine weeks out before returning at the US Open, where he missed the cut for the first time at a major competition. No matter how hard Woods practices before April's event, a lack of competitive play may prove the golfer's greatest nemesis, at least in the short term.
Nonetheless, with just a relatively short break from the game, and a somewhat humiliating apology aside, Woods has made his return from disgrace pretty much on his own terms. There's been no real discussion of Woods' transgressions, no touchy-feely interview on Oprah - the golfer hasn't even missed a beat when it comes to opportunities to add to his haul of 14 majors.
The signs are that, despite claims that Woods recognises he needs to change, the golfer plans to keep doing things the way he always has - that's any d**n way he pleases. At a teleconference with the press on Monday, PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem told reporters that Woods would give the tour notice of when he plans to make his return.
A day's notice should suit you just fine, right Tim?
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