Wednesday, March 17, 2010
THE more he thought about it, Augusta National and the Masters became a no-brainer for Tiger Woods as he figured out the best way to restart his golfing career.
He confirmed as much in yesterday’s press release in which he stated that "Augusta is where I need to be" while also emphasising the support he has received from the club and its members.
He seriously considered the Tavistock Cup, a "friendly" two-day affair on Monday and Tuesday next between a couple of clubs in Orlando where he lives, and the Arnold Palmer tournament at Bay Hill at the end of the week. Both events are close to his heart but Woods and his advisers in the International Management Group felt the former would not have been of much use to him in a competitive sense and would have been conscious of the potential for crowd trouble at the latter.
Instead, he goes straight to the Masters where he believes there is less chance of serious disruption during the practice days and certainly when the tournament itself gets under way. Spectators at Augusta are known as "patrons", the vast majority of whom receive their badges on an annual basis and know well that the privilege is liable to be withdrawn unless they comply with certain requirements.
The media’s reaction is probably a different matter and it won’t be easy for the club to lay down rules and regulations. They could hardly "outlaw" direct questions about his personal life and behaviour at his press conference on the Tuesday of tournament week – that is if he agrees to hold one. That would normally be expected if not exactly demanded of the game’s number one player but one line in yesterday’s statement caught the eye more than any other.
Having expressed his regret to the Tavistock and the Arnold Palmer tournaments, he went on: "I would like to thank the members of Augusta National and staff for their support. I have deep appreciation for everything they do to create a wonderful event for the benefit of the game."
Obviously, Augusta and Woods (or his representatives) have discussed everything involved in his return to the game with the club intent on doing everything it possibly can to make it as pressure-free as possible for golf’s most famous – or should that now read most infamous – personality.
William Porter Payne, the chairman of Augusta National, and his team would have been happy to afford Tiger any reasonable degree of assistance he might have asked for while it was hardly surprising that Payne should have also issued his own statement welcoming yesterday’s development.
"We support Tiger’s decision to return to competitive golf beginning at this year’s Masters tournament," he said.
"Additionally, we support and encourage his stated commitment to continue the significant work required to rebuild his personal and professional life."
Augusta National know only too well Woods’s presence in the Masters field will give their tournament an even higher profile than is usually the case and that it was in their own best interests to accommodate his wishes to the best of their ability.
Only time will tell whether that means trying to put restraints on the media as to the questions they might ask or the copy they produce and on the "patrons" where heckling and the like are concerned.
If that can be done anywhere, it can be done at Augusta and it certainly makes for a fascinating scenario and a story that will resound all over the planet.
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