Get ready for the biggest sports story of the year: Tiger Woods will return to golf at the 2010 Masters tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
Woods said in a press release that his deep respect for the Masters, where Woods won his first major professional golf tournament in 1997, made it the natural place for him to end his self-imposed hiatus from the sport that has brought him worldwide acclaim.
Television ratings for the Masters will likely break all-time viewership records as public interest in all things Tiger has soared since the sex scandal that has turned his life into a public soap opera complete with sexy mistresses, a distressed wife, humiliation and a public looking for more details.
This will be Woods first golf competition, since he ran his SUV over a fire plug and in to a tree in November outside of his Orlando home. The accident triggered a sex scandal, exposing more than a dozen extramarital affairs the golfer had with women over the past several years.
Woods public apology was covered live by all four major television networks. And stories about the Woods affairs have captured headlines across the globe.
The 34-year-old golfer has said his major concern was to save his marriage with his wife, Elin, and be a better father to his two children.
Golf is the ultimate game of concentration, and it will be fascinating to see if Woods, who has been dubbed the greatest ever to play the game, will be able to put the many distractions aside to play well.
If Woods can somehow manage to win against the best golfers in the world after such a public scandal, Tiger's place in sports history will be cemented.
Comments: (15)
Add a comment
By: meanvee on 3/16/2010 3:57PM
The Champ is back! now i can watch golf again!
http://www.GamingConsoleStore.com
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: jhkhljkhj on 3/19/2010 10:38AM
input this URL:
(http://overstockes.com)
you can find many cheap and fashion stuff
(jor dan s-h-o-e-s)
(NBA NFL NHL MLB j-e-r-s-e-y)
( lv h-a-n-d-b-a-g)
(cha nel w-a-l-l-e-t)
(D&G s-u-n-g-l-a-s-s-e-s)
(ed har dy j-a-c-k-e-t)
(UG G b-o-o-t)
WE ACCEPT PYAPAL PAYMENT
YOU MUST NOT MISS IT!!!
Report This
By: Lillie on 3/16/2010 4:52PM
Welcome back, Tiger. I am a Vijay and Phil fan myself, so I am looking forward to the competition. As for me, I never stopped watching golf. There are too many highly-skilled level players to not miss a moment of the game when I am not out playing myself. Unfortunately, I didn't put attending the Master's on my agenda this year; however, I didn't get to see him the year before that. But just being on the course was honor enough. It should be an interesting competition.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: leo fowler on 3/16/2010 5:09PM
I wish this ordeal will make Tiger embrace and surround himself with more people who looks like his dad and halfbrothers and sister!!!
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: JOAN on 3/16/2010 6:16PM
WE NEED NOT WORRY ABOUT TIGER....HE CAN HOLD HIS OWN. NOT MANY IF ANY CAN SAY THAT. WELCOME BACK TIGER...WE ALL HAVE SINS..THAT WE NEED TO OVERCOME. NO ONE...NO ONE IS...EXEMPT.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: OOOZZZZZ on 3/16/2010 7:59PM
We will see ladies & gentlemen, we will see.
IMO, this statement. "that his deep respect for the Masters, where Woods won his first major professional golf tournament in 1997, made it the natural place for him to end his self-imposed hiatus from the sport that has brought him worldwide acclaim"........is just another calculated & political move by Tiger Woods and his team of advisors to continue to shield & protect him from the sports & tabliod media, in which he still refuses to sit down straight up, mano e mano, at atnon-golf press conference, face the music and take the hard & pointed questions about what happened.
The organizers and honchos of the Masters Tournment will ensure that (1) certain press (and not everybody) will be in hand picked in attendance, (2) that fans and gallery members will be closely monitored and told to not express their opinions (vocal, picket sign, clothing, etc) from the stands outside of a golfer actual play: preparing to putt, putting, driving from the tee etc and that the press conferences throughout the tournment will be timed specific and short, allowing Tiger to continue to skirt the questions & inquiries that the media want to question and the public wants to know about. These areas have always been the standard but in this case, will be monitored much more closely.
And you know that these and other terms & arrangements have already been pre-arranged, tabeled & neogoaited by Tiger Inc with the Master's organization, prior to his released announcement that he will play in the Masters because the President of the Master understands (and it has been discussed also) that with Tiger partciptating, that this will be a TV ratings bonanza, big $$$$ & will one of the most widely viewed sporting events in TV history.
But what If Tiger doesn't win the Masters or come in a close second, third, top 5 finish or loses in the middle of the pack? What if the pressure gets to him. This is not the pre-Thanksgiving Tiger Woods and not all elite athletes, throughout history, can't bring it after scrunity & controversey.
Yes, he will get the "he's just rusty" or "he'll do better in the next tournment" justification but only if he performs pretty well in that Master's loss and not completely stink up the joint in his performance.
So IMO, Tiger continues to play the game and hide behind golf, his money & his advisors;, lying, ducking and dodging the tough, real questions and if you think about it, the amount of time that Tiger spent in the sex rehab (which has treatment steps just like AA (and he is now considered a registered sex addict)) does not even qualify as full treatment to be properly diagnoised, released & relegated back into society.
Tiger knows that his situation is a clear case of a criminal act: violent domestic abuse, physical assault, etc (with his kids in the house) commited by his wife, there us possible drug abuse involved in his SUV crash and a possible police cover-up by the Florida police by not properly following standard procedures.
And he has lied throughout the entire ordeal.
And what about the 16 skanks? Well, that included.
If he wins, they will make him a bigger golf GOD and "forgive him" despite all his reckless behaviors, manupilations and the lies he has told.
This is what we do in America.
Tiger Woods on the golf course? Has guts.
Tiger Woods off the golf course? Gutless.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: blackbear72 on 3/16/2010 9:08PM
The things you stated that the Masters will do are things the Masters have always done. They have always hand picked the media and they control everything about the Masters. It is stated on every ticket what is expected of every patron, there has never been a picket sign on Masters property and any disrespectful behavior will cause the patron to be escorted out. No one breaks this policy, because the ticket is so valuable and the event so beloved. Nothing will change because this is Tigers return, it doesn't have to change because it has always been that way.
Tiger has no pre-arranged terms between himself and the Masters, the Masters chairman controls everything (they negotiate with no one, they hold all the cards) and while it is much better for Tiger to play in the Masters, the Masters does not need Tiger. A few years ago someone protested the Masters and threaten to have all sponsors cancel their sponsorship of the event. The Masters chairman preempted that by deciding to not have any sponsors for that year and the Master went on without a hitch w/o any sponsorship. The Masters answers to no one.
That being said, it was always the best event for Tiger to return to, because it will not have the carnival atmosphere to it and if he wanted Tiger could stay on Masters grounds the entire week and avoid any trouble at all. He will not ever miss a major especially the Masters so his return there is really not a surprise.
Report This
By: OOOZZZZZ on 3/16/2010 9:43PM
blackbear72, with a few exceptions, you bascially repeated exactly what I said.
But in this case the atmosphere surrounding Tiger Woods is different and Tiger knew going in that this "refined Masters environment" (we won't be able to tell) will politically protect him from the things that the media, people with inquiry and patrons really want to know.
Not about his golf game (that's secondary) but his continued skirting of the tough, hard pressing questions and the lies that he continues to tell.
His return to golf at the Masters? Calucated and simplified/intensified for him. He would not have done this without finite stipulations for the Masters or return at any other tour event as his first event.
Tiger, throughout this entire shiggity, has done nothing without planned calculation so why would this be any different?
And you say that the Masters does not need Tiger.
Wake up. Why was the PGA President in front row attendance at Tiger's first press conference? And you know as well as I do, outside of dedicated golf fans and it's players, there is no player on the PGA tour (and the world) that can bring in the novist fan with interest to watch golf and Tiger has been doing that since he turned pro, causing golf TV ratings every tournment to sky rocket, tournment/match earnings/winnings/purses higher $$$$ for all pro golfers along with marketing, advertiing, sales, and overall interest in
the sport, which all translates into big $$$$.
Something that Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh or any other players in the PGA tour can ever produce. Tiger brings in the outside dollars and the PGA and the Masters knows it.
Without Tiger Woods, the game of golf, outside of it's primary fans (like you) is just like soccer in the U.S.
Very little interest and static revenues.
And despite all his issues, Tiger Woods is golf's ultimate and all-time, cash cow.
The players all know it, The Masters organization knows it, the PGA President knows it, and you know it.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: blackbear72 on 3/16/2010 10:47PM
No one gives any stipulation to the Masters, not even Tiger. He was invited to the Master, that is the only way to play in the Masters, he can play or not. That is his choice, there is no possibly of Tiger being harassed at the Masters. The Masters is by far the best run, planed and organized sporting event in the world. They do not need to refine anything. There is no need to protect him while he is on the grounds of the Masters. If anyone media, patrons or otherwise tries to bother him or any other player they will lose there privileges as a patron. This is a very difficult and expensive ticket to get and no one would do something stupid to get kicked out. That is why Tiger chose to return there. By the way the Masters makes very little off of ticket prices, the attendance is limited and the price for a tournament badge is just $100 and that will not change.
As I said, the Masters does not need Tiger. They will make the same money with or with out Tiger. No one will decide not to go because Tiger is not there. The ticket prices will remain the same, the attendance will be the same, they will sell just as much merchandise and get just as much advertisement money. The Masters is not like other golf tournaments, it has only one minute of commercial time per hour and zero advertisements on the grounds. Tiger playing will not change that.
The PGA president has noting to do with the Masters and the person at his press conference was the PGA tour commissioner, who also has nothing to do with the Masters. The Masters is its own entity and the Masters chairman decides everything. The Masters does not need or want the novice golf fan, there was a Masters before Tiger and will be one long after him. The Masters doe not need outside dollars. The scalpers will make a lot more because of Tiger, but not the Masters.
The PGA tour on the other hand does need him and will make stipulation and refinements for him. Any sport needs it best player and Tiger is by far the current best player. I like Tiger and enjoy watching him, but the novice golf fan that tiger has brought, have in my opinion, only ruined the sport. The only thing Tiger has done for the real golfer is increase the price of anything golf related. I would rather pay $25 to play a round and not have Tiger, then $125 and have him.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: OOOZZZZZ on 3/17/2010 12:28AM
Quote by blackbear72: "The only thing Tiger has done for the real golfer is increase the price of anything golf related."
---------------------------------------------------
You keep on believing that the Masters don't need Tiger, continue to hold on to your golf convictions and "purity of the game" but the recent popularity since Tiger turned pro, the renewed interest and the newly infused multi-billions in golf revenues through all revenue streams and venues in golf (and the multi-millions spent by those "novice" fans) makes the sport of golf much bigger than it has ever been.
Tiger Woods is just that great. He can have all these problems and come back and golf is alive again and people are anxious to watch again.
What has been the focus of golf since Thanksgiving? Not any golf tournments since that time, not any of the other pro players but the one player who hasn't played since that time, Tiger Woods. That's power, that's magnatude, that's dominance, that's influence.
You can say that golf's old guard, Palmer, Nicklaus, Player, Watson, the Shark and others have carried the torch of the sport for the long time to the committed golf fanatic and through their accomplishments kept it fresh and ensured the fusion of genre type generational popularity within the sport in a specific manner and for a specific demographic but Tiger did one better: took it to the next level, a higher level.
Brought in the unknown "new" interest in the sport from across all genre and color lines, make the game exciting, brought in golf physical fitness, focus, concentration, "the killer instinct", the "fear factor" of him from other pros, discipline (all the things that golf wasn't known for and make public and other pros tried to emulate) which in turn generated the golf business from the multi-millions to the multi-billions of dollars that golf now happily wallows in and as business goes, you don't turn away from those "greens" and once you're rolling in it, turning back and settling for less without Tiger does not cut it anymore.
As John Daly said in an earlier article, "Golf needs Tiger more than Tiger needs golf and because of him, the tournment purses have never been like this before......and for pro golfers, they love the sport but they also love the rush of new money. And I'll bet you that all pro golfers feel the same way that daly does. They are just not that revealing as Mr. Daly.
At the end of the day, business is business and the Masters and the PGA understands the value of Tiger Woods.
And what led the news in all media outlets today; sports, tabloid and main stream media? Tiger Woods. Can any other pro golfer today do that?
And who will be the undisputed greatest golfer ever in the history of the sport when he's finished playing golf? Tiger Woods.
Reply to this Comment | Report This