Masters gets its man

THE countdown to Tiger Woods’ return to golf began yesterday when he announced he is to start his comeback in The Masters at Augusta.

Golf’s number one has decided not to have a warm-up event, but to start facing the world again at the opening major of the season on April 8-11.

However, Pádraig Harrington believes Woods will find it tough to win the Masters when he comes back after five months out of the game.

But Harrington reckons the world No 1 is showing his commitment to his family by opting not to have a warm-up event.

Harrington said: “Tiger needs to get back to the golf course to bring balance back to his life because that is what he does.

“I think the fact that he is not coming out and playing before the Masters means that the emphasis is more on his family that it is on his golf.

“Clearly he would be more competitive if he did play before the Masters. I think he is well capable of winning but it is harder to win when you haven’t been playing and haven’t been competitive.”

Steve Stricker suggested last week that the powers at Augusta might not be happy with Woods overshadowing their event by using it as his comeback tournament.

But Harrington insisted that both Augusta and the players will welcome him with open arms.

He said: “The players just want to see him back and there is no issue there. In fairness to the Masters, it was there before Tiger and it will be there after Tiger.

“While there will be an extra bit of media attention on Tiger, I think it just shows the stature of the event that it will be well capable of handling that.

Harrington insisted that he would have no problem playing the first two rounds with Woods at Augusta of all places.

He said: “That would be fine. Of all the places to play in the world, Augusta would be the best place in the world to play. It wouldn’t be an issue at all.

“It might be tough at another golf course but not at Augusta. There will be no hullabaloo on the golf course.”

In a statement released yesterday Woods, who is reported to be living apart from his Swedish wife Elin, said: “The major championships have always been a special focus in my career and, as a professional, I think Augusta is where I need to be, even though it’s been a while since I last played. I have undergone almost two months of in-patient therapy and I’m continuing my treatment. Although I’m returning to competition, I still have a lot of work to do in my personal life. When I finally got into a position to think about competitive golf again, it became apparent to me that The Masters would be the earliest I could play. I called both Joe Lewis and Arnold Palmer and expressed my regrets for not attending the Tavistock Cup (next Monday and Tuesday) and the Arnold Palmer Invitational (March 25-28).”

Woods last played on November 15, winning the Australian Masters in Melbourne and taking his total of professional victories to 92.

Twelve days later his life went into meltdown after an accident outside his home in which he hit a fire hydrant and a tree.

His total of majors now stands at 14, four short of Jack Nicklaus’s record.

Four of those wins have come at Augusta and, until his off-course behaviour was uncovered, this season looked a heaven-sent opportunity to become the first player ever to win all four majors in one year.