Control freak Woods doing things his way again

TIGER WOODS has yet to utter a word, and yet the boundaries he has set for today’s announcement are already under attack by some members of the media. On the other hand, many fans just don’t care – and want the world’s No. 1 golfer back on the greens.

The trigger point: The champ’s agent, Mark Steinberg, informing the Associated Press “a small group of friends, colleagues and close associates” – along with six hand-selected reporters – will be permitted to join Woods at 11am local time (4pm Irish time) at the TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse in Florida, where he “plans to discuss his past and his future and he plans to apologise for his behaviour,” according to Steinberg, and the golfer’s spokesman, Glenn Greenspan.

According to his website: “Tiger plans to discuss his past and his future, and he plans to apologise for his behaviour. While Tiger feels that what happened is fundamentally a matter between him and his wife, he also recognises that he has hurt and let down a lot of other people who were close to him. He also let down his fans. He wants to begin the process of making amends, and that’s what he’s going to discuss.”

So you can guess what we’ll hear. He’ll say it’s been hugely trying time for his family. He’ll talk about how he has drawn strength from all the messages of support he’s received, and about how his wife and kids are the most important things in his life. He’ll apologise to his wife and fans, and say how committed he is to becoming a better husband and father.

He’ll talk about how much he’s missed golf, and how committed he is to return to the sport he loves. He’ll talk about his charity and reducing his sponsorship commitments. He’ll trim his schedule and stay at home more, and he’ll probably say something about the media coverage and his family’s right to privacy. And that’ll probably be it.

The level of control is underlined by the fact that the adjoining picture of him out jogging – one of the most sought-after images in the world – was released through Getty Images to ensure the paparazzi wouldn’t get their million dollar shot.

The idea of Woods’s establishing a controlled situation, where no questions will be allowed, prompted a disappointed reaction from Sports Illustrated senior writer Michael Bamberger.

“Tiger Woods is a world-class control freak, and in his re-entry into public life – which has showered him with wealth and opportunities and trappings that we can only imagine – he is picking up right where he left off. He controls all. He’s the same way with his golf ball. He tells it exactly what he wants it to do.”