I watched the return of Tiger Woods fearing the worst and hoping for the best. Nothing would have surprised me, whether it turned out to be one of the greatest performances in history or seeing a blonde woman coming from nowhere and punching Tiger in the face. We know the woman would have been blonde, since Tiger doesn't seem to like anything else.

With the 90 bodyguards there to protect him, Tiger Woods stepped back out into the world with the sole objective of reclaiming his dignity. Today was a very good start.
Woods finished the day with a respectable score of 68, which is four strokes under par and just two strokes off the lead This is the best first-round score that Tiger has ever carded in what is becoming the greatest career in the history of professional golf. Tiger did something else he's never done before, which is obtain two eagles in the same round of the Masters. In fact, he almost had three eagles, had the putt been a little more to the right. His shots were the typically miraculous work of a man who is committed to his craft (obviously more than to his spouse), and it appears that he hasn't lost his stroke (yes, the pun was intended - forgive my corniness).

Tiger has won the Masters four times in his career, and some think this could be his fifth. His reception at the tournament was positive, with the crowd cheering on his every move. He was focused, disciplined and capable on the course, and given all the hype surrounding the event, things started to get a little dull. Nike took advantage of Tiger's return by running an ad using a voice-over from his late father Earl. The ad has gotten hundreds of thousands of views on the web, so this was a good move for Nike. If Tiger has a strong performance and can find a way to rebuild his brand, both he and Nike will certainly be on their way back to the top.

There are going to be distractions, of course. One of the lead officials at the Masters chewed out Tiger in front of the public, citing his unethical behavior. There are also rumors about Tiger having sex with a young neighbor in her early 20s. Blah blah blah, it all continues. The truth is that every person who wishes to judge Tiger Woods for what he does in the bedroom would probably fold under the same degree of scrutiny. Millions of Americans do strange things in their bedrooms, and it's not the right for any of us to judge that.

I'll keep you posted on Tiger's performance as the days go by. It's my greatest hope that Tiger can find the peace he needs on the course and off, for his success would mean a great deal for the plight of the black male athlete.


Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the author of the new book, "Black American Money." To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.