Updates and Opinions below the video
It's official! Tiger Woods is coming back to golf at The Masters next month in Augusta, Georgia.
In USA Today, Steve DiMeglio writes...
Tiger Woods will end his self-imposed "indefinite break" from golf by making his long-awaited return to the game on the hallowed grounds of Augusta National Golf Club, home of The Masters. "The Masters is where I won my first major and I view this tournament with great respect," Woods said Tuesday in a statement. "After a long and necessary time away from the game, I feel like I'm ready to start my season at Augusta. 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."
Roars are expected to echo through the Georgia pines and above the multihued azaleas that frame the revered course when the world No. 1 plays for the first time this year. The tournament in Augusta, Ga., is the first major championship of the season and will be Woods' first since he ran his SUV over a fire hydrant and into a tree in the wee hours of Nov. 27 in front of his suburban Orlando estate. The single-car accident turned his private life into public property as revelations of his extramarital affairs splashed across front pages of newspapers and tabloids around the world.
The announcement ends weeks of speculation about Woods and his return to professional golf. Woods last played in November when he won the Australian Masters, and his last competitive appearance in the U.S. came at the Presidents Cup in October in San Francisco.
In his statement, Woods said he regrets not being able to play in the Tavistock Cup and the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Read more on USA Today.
On ESPN, Jason Sobel wites...
Tiger Woods looked into the camera and knew he needed to speak the truth. The game's top-ranked golfer appeared debilitated, dejected, and for maybe the first time in his career, completely vulnerable. In other words, he looked human.
This description could easily explain Woods' demeanor throughout a 13½-minute speech that was delivered from PGA Tour headquarters Feb. 19, during which he addressed personal affairs that had been cause of his self-imposed leave of absence from golf. Instead, it serves as a summary of thoughts from four years earlier, and should provide the reason he will come back as very much the same competitor when he returns in early April at The Masters.
Read the rest on ESPN.com
More on what we can expect to see from Tiger Woods at Augusta.
From Dogs Chasing Cars, Shane B. writes...
He's returning, but he isn't really returning. Tiger Woods hasn't played tournament golf since November 15, so to think that he believes he has a chance at winning would do one of two things.
1.) It would show that no matter how much therapy/changing Tiger has done, his ego still overrides reality.
2.) It would mean that he has been practicing way more than he led the public to believe.
Still, no practice can prepare someone for an event like this, and Tiger is probably going to finish somewhere around 15th* or something, a mediocre week for Tiger (And a great week for most anyone else in the field).
Woods picked Augusta because it is simple, and it has nothing to do with what he told the Associated Press. He isn't doing it because he won his first major there. He isn't doing it because he feels that it has some bigger meaning.
Read more on Dogs Chasing Cars.
CBS President Sean McManus says Tiger Woods return will 'be epic'
In Sports Illustrated, Richard Deitsch writes...
As the formal part of its annual NCAA basketball Media Day drew to a close last week, a reporter approached CBS News and Sports president Sean McManus to talk about a subject other than college basketball.
"News?" McManus asked.
No.
"Football," McManus pressed again.
Nope.
"The Masters," McManus said.
The executive was told he was getting closer.
McManus smiled. "Tiger Woods."
Read more on Sports Illustrated website.
Watch Tiger Woods comeback in 3D
Yep, that's a true statement. The Masters announced that we'll get to watch this year's event in 3D. Do you have your glasses? Maybe I should go see Avatar again and steal me a pair.
First "Avatar," now Augusta.
Parts of the 2010 Masters will be broadcast in next-generation 3D, the first time a live major sporting event will feature this technology. The technology will allow viewers to see much of the back nine in three dimensions, Augusta National Chairman Billy Payne said Monday.
This 3D technology has previously only been available for movies, according to Jenni Moyer, a senior director of corporate communications for Comcast, which will deliver the programming to U.S. viewers with 3D-capable TV and computer screens.
"Innovation has always been part of Masters tradition," Payne said.
Read more on Golf.com
PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem responds to Tiger's return
Finchem's statement: We were pleased to learn that Tiger Woods will be playing the Masters in a few weeks. He has invested a lot of time taking steps, both in his personal and professional life, in order to prepare for his return. We all wish him and his family the best as he rejoins the Tour.
Six reasons why Augusta National is the logical return for Tiger Woods.
On PGATour.com, staff writers come up with these six reasons below...
1. CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT -- From the media impact to the size of the galleries, the Masters can make Augusta National a very hospitable place for Woods. Media credentials, in fact, were just recently sent out, and non-traditional golf media may get shut out. And, of course, tickets to the tournament are among the toughest to acquire for any sporting event, with badges passed down from generation to generation. "Augusta is one place in the world that you can really have control, and they will control everything from the crowds to the situation that will be facing Tiger," Arnold Palmer said. "I think that if there is a place in the world that you can do that and do it properly, Augusta will do that."
2. SPEAKING OF THE CROWDS -- You can bet they will be on the best behavior ... as they always are at Augusta National. Genteel behavior and proper decorum are part of the unique aspect of Masters patrons. As Bobby Jones wrote in 1967: "Most distressing to those who love the game of golf is the applauding or cheering of misplays or misfortunes of a player. Such occurrences have been rare at the Masters but we must eliminate them entirely if our patrons are to continue to merit their reputation as the most knowledgeable and considerate in the world." Mr. Jones probably didn't envision a scenario such as this, but you can expect Masters officials to encourage their patrons to continue adhering to the message.
Read the rest of the reasons on PGATour.com
Ron Sirak from Golf Digest shares his opinion on Tiger's return
The decision by Tiger Woods to return to competition at the Masters in April is clearly part of a carefully orchestrated campaign by his handlers to bring him back in the most controlled environment possible -- as they did when he delivered his televised apology Feb. 19 -- but it comes with risks as well. While it is true Augusta National, being a private club, has much greater control in issuing media credentials and filtering questions than a regular PGA Tour event, it is also true that a major championship is a demanding test that identifies a player's weakness -- both physically and emotionally.
The most important thing Woods needs to do right now is shift the conversation away from serial infidelity and endorsement partners jumping ship back to golf. And the only way to get that line of discussion going is to play well. If Woods' first round back is a 75, for example, the questioning will be about distractions and focus and emotional well-being. And while there is every reason to believe Woods is going to stonewall the media about his personal escapades when he returns, that will not stop people from asking and it won't prevent the news talk shows from making his "struggles" the topic of discussion.
Read more on Golf Digest.
Is this the biggest golf story ever? Randall Mell says yes!
The Dalai Lama must be scratching his head again.
The Tibetan spiritual leader only recently discovered who Tiger Woods was after being asked about him in an interview.
We can only imagine his reaction around the water cooler at The Office of His Holiness when the news hit today that Woods is returning to golf.
“Somebody, please, what is the Masters?”
The news that Woods will return in three weeks at Augusta National was beamed around the world with such force that it’s a wonder it hasn’t knocked satellites off their orbits.
The Tiger Woods story is a worldwide fascination because his golf will be about so much more than sport now.
Woods may not be bigger than the Masters, but his story is.
Woods may not be bigger than golf, but his story is.
Woods now towers over every player and storyline in the history of the game.
Read the rest on Golf Channel.
Rex Hoggard says Augusta National is the perfect place for Tiger Woods' return
The Masters works because the U.S. Open is too far away. The Masters works because Bay Hill, a great event, is shoehorned into a sprawling neighborhood and already a logistical challenge, sans zoo. The Masters works because the Tavistock Cup in not a real competition. The Masters works because Augusta National is as close to a Tour autocracy as one can get.
But mostly the Masters works as the site of the “return” because it is where mind, game and calendar collide into a perfect storm, however imperfect Tiger Woods’ current situation may be.
Read the rest on The Golf Channel.