New Woods advert aired

Tiger Woods’ return to action at the Masters in Augusta this week has been marked by a new Nike advert featuring the voice of the golfer’s late father, Earl.

The 32-second commercial, Woods’ first since revelations about his private life led to the American taking a break from the sport, aired on both ESPN and the Golf Channel yesterday.

In it, a recording of Woods’ father, who died in 2006, talks over a lingering black and white shot of his son, who stares motionlessly at the camera throughout.

“Tiger, I am more prone to be inquisitive to promote discussion,” Earl Woods says.

“I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are, and did you learn anything?”

While alluding to Woods’ personal problems, the advert is a clear signal of support from Nike, who have stuck by the world number one while other sponsors, such as Accenture and AT&T, have severed ties.

A statement from Nike read: “We support Tiger and his family.

“As he returns to competitive golf, the ad addresses his time away from the game using the powerful words of his father.”