Tiger Woods

Masterful Return

It seems that the PGA Tour can now resume with the announcement that Tiger Woods will make his much anticipated return to golf. But wasn’t the tour still going on during Woods’ five month hiatus? One would not think so, but the PGA Tour has held over 20 events since the departure of the tour’s greatest attraction. It seems that all parties benefit from the return of Woods’ to the links. The PGA Tour itself will see their ratings significantly rise, which always translates into more money. The fans get to see one of the best golfers in history of the sport. Surprisingly, the majority of players are happy to see Tiger back on tour. I really don’t know how much truth there is behind this statement, but every golfer that was interviewed seemed glad with Tiger coming back on the tour. They must now be relieved that they can avoid talk of Tiger when being questioned by the media. Many golfers seemed extremely irritated with constant questions regarding Tiger. I don’t blame them; they have to be focused on themselves and not another golfer. It is now Tiger’s turn to be thrown into the storm of questions via the media. Don’t get me wrong, the media do have all the right to ask Tiger about his recent downfall. I understand that this is the media’s job to document his historic downfall, but it is going to take away from the game. Some viewers may be scared away from the soap opera that may ensue.

It is only fitting that Tiger will return to action at the Masters next month in Augusta. It does not seem long ago when Tiger ran away from the field and won the event by a record 12 strokes, becoming the youngest player to ever win the Masters (first African-American also). Since then, Tiger has gone on to win the Masters three more times. So what would the Masters be without Tiger? Unfortunately, not much. The success of the PGA Tour rests solely on the shoulders of Tiger. Let’s be serious, spectators do not go to events to see anybody else. They buy the ticket to see possibly the best golfer that has ever lived. Even the PGA Tour has felt the effects of the recession, making the return of Tiger coming just in the nick of time. I believe that next month’s Masters has the potential to be one of the most watched golfing events in history. The scene cannot be set any better for a Tiger Woods victory on the 72^nd hole of the Masters to earn his 5^th green jacket. Although there will be some bitter spectators that weekend, the gallery has always been behind Tiger and that will not change. Any fan of golf has to realize and appreciate all that Tiger has given back to the game. We were able to forgive Kobe and A-Rod, which makes forgiving Tiger come all the easier.