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Augusta Masters: Tiger returns to his favourite hunting ground

Larry Dorman

Tiger Woods

An outpouring of support from peers, sponsors and officials greeted the announcement by Tiger Woods that his self-imposed exile from golf would end at the Masters in April — a first step in a return to normalcy on the competitive side of his life.

Woods, 34, whose last tournament appearance was the Australian Masters in November, revealed his plans on Tuesday on his website.

Feeling ready

“The Masters is where I won my first Major, and I view this tournament with great respect,'' Woods said in a statement. “After a long and necessary time away from the game, I feel like I'm ready to start my season at Augusta.

“I have undergone almost two months of in-patient 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.”

Woods has been rarely seen in public since crashing his car into a fire hydrant and a tree in front of his home early on the morning of November 27, 2009.

There had been reports that Woods planned to return to competition next week at the Tavistock Cup in preparation for the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in Orlando.

Woods explained in his statement that next week would have been too early to return. The Masters begins on April 8.

Palmer, who said he spoke with Woods on Tuesday, told the Golf Channel that he understood why Woods would not return at Bay Hill, where he won last year.

CBS, the long-time broadcast-rights holder for the Masters, made no immediate comment on Woods's announcement, but John Wildhack, an executive for ESPN, which will broadcast the first two rounds, said Woods's return would be “one of the biggest stories the sporting world has seen.``

Heath Slocum, the winner of the Barclays, told The Associated Press: “It will be interesting to watch, not only the reaction from him, but from the fans, the media, the players. I would venture to say he might be nervous.”

So Woods, whose primary career goal has been to break Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 Major championship victories, will return at a Major championship, a stage that he has dominated more than any other in collecting 14 Major titles.

The Augusta National Golf Club, a secluded 365-acre haven, is an ideal place for his return for a number of reasons, security foremost among them.

The higher-profile contestants in the Masters are protected by Pinkerton guards and police.

The Augusta course has also been good to Woods — he has won four Masters titles — and although he has been away from competitive golf for almost five months, his special relationship with the event will be sufficient for him to be a favourite.

News of Woods's return also brought statements of support from the PGA Tour commissioner, Tim Finchem; a spokesman for the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews; and Woods's remaining corporate sponsors. — New York Times News Service

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