By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
March 16, 2010
PALM
HARBOR, Fla. (AP) -- Tiger Woods said Tuesday he will return to golf
next month at the Masters, ending a four-month hiatus brought on by a
sex scandal that shattered his image as the gold standard in sports.
"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."
The Masters begins April 8.
The Associated Press first reported his plans to return at Augusta National last Thursday.
Woods
has not competed since Nov. 15 when he won the Australian Masters for
his 82nd victory worldwide. Twelve days later, he crashed his car into
a tree outside his Florida home, setting off shocking revelations that
he had been cheating on his wife.
"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 a while
since I last played," Woods said.
"I have undergone almost two
months of inpatient therapy and I am continuing my treatment," he said.
"Although I'm returning to competition, I still have a lot of work to
do in my personal life."
There had been reports he would play
the Tavistock Cup exhibition next week in Orlando, followed by the
Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, where he is the defending
champion and a six-time winner.
"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," Woods said.
Already
the major with the highest TV ratings, this Masters could be the
biggest yet. The first two rounds are televised on ESPN, with CBS
Sports on the weekend.
"Obviously, the ratings will be off the
chart," Heath Slocum said. "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."
Woods twice has come
into a major after a long layoff without playing, with mixed results --
he missed the cut at Winged Foot for the 2006 U.S. Open after his
father died, and he won the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines while
playing on a shattered left knee.
Woods is a four-time Masters champion, although he has not won at Augusta National since 2005, his longest drought there.
In
some respects, the Masters makes sense for golf's No. 1 player to
return. Media credentials are limited regardless of who's playing or
what's in the news, and Augusta National has more control of its
tickets than any other golf tournament.
Those with season badges risk losing them if they violate policies, or are caught selling them.
Woods
has been the biggest draw at the Masters ever since he became its
youngest champion at 21 in 1997, when he broke the tournament scoring
record with a 12-shot victory.
That likely won't compare to this year.
Woods'
world came crashing down on Nov. 27 when he fled his house in the
middle of the night and ran his Cadillac SUV over a fire hydrant and
into a tree. About that time, allegations of womanizing began to
emerge, and Woods' silence was replaced by rumors of what happened that
night and how, as the world's most famous athlete, he could keep so
many affairs a secret.
He eventually confessed to infidelity and
said Dec. 11 he would take an "indefinite break" from golf. Woods spoke
publicly for the first time on Feb. 19 at TPC Sawgrass, where he
confessed to cheating on his wife, Elin.
"I have made you question who I am and how I could have done the things I did," Woods said that day.
He
was in a Mississippi clinic from Dec. 31 until Feb. 11, then went to an
Arizona clinic for a week of family counseling. He returned to practice
when he got home to Isleworth, and swing coach Hank Haney joined him
last week.
This will be the first time Woods won't play Bay Hill, the only regular PGA Tour event he has never missed as a professional.
Meantime, the governing body of golf outside the United States said it hoped Woods would play at the British Open in July.
"We're
pleased to hear that Tiger is to return to golf. ... Golf needs the
world No. 1 to be playing," Royal & Ancient spokesman Malcolm Booth
said.
Woods has not yet entered to play at the British Open at
St. Andrews, but has until May 27 to send in his entry form. Booth says
it's "normal that he hasn't" entered yet.
