Tiger Woods is returning to golf. According to Variety, Tiger announced today that he would return to the game and play in this year’s Masters tournament, scheduled April 8-11 from Augusta, Georgia.
“The Masters is where I won my first major and I view this tournament with great respect,” he said 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 announcement comes less than a month after Tiger’s widely publicized press conference, in which the golf star apologized for letting down his family and his fans with his infidelity, which involved dozens of women. At that time, Tiger said he wasn’t sure when he would be able to play golf again.
So what’s the big rush? There’s a lot of pressure from the golf world, and the networks. Golf ratings have been down significantly this year with Woods off the course. He last played competitively in November at the World Golf Championship, where he tied for sixth. Ratings for the Masters — golf’s most prestigious tournament — skyrocket when Woods is in contention.
“‘I think the first tournament Tiger Woods plays again, wherever it is, will be the biggest media event other than the Obama inauguration in the past 10 or 15 years,” said Sean McManus of CBS Sports. Now, now. Let’s not give Tiger an even bigger ego.
