Tiger is Coming Back

Well its no secret that Tiger Woods is returning to golf at the Masters. It has been talked about and debated since he released a statement though his webpage. I for one am pleased that he is coming back. Not because I want to see him play, but because he owes golf a debt.

The man is extremely rich. He is rich because he can play golf very, very well. If it were not for his golfing abilities, Tiger Woods would never have received all the endorsements. In these times of economic challenges, which happens to coincide with several sponsorship renewals on the PGA Tour. Currently the only consistent draw on the tour is Tiger.

No Tiger, no money.

I realize he is a bit of a sideshow act but, if he isn't drawing people the tour could be in real trouble. There is no heir apparent. There is no one to look to today in golf that could pick up the torch and carry the tour. Tiger is it.

He has a responsibility to leave the sport in better condition than when he arrived. Golf has treated him well and he must do the same. Not returning to golf would be the most selfish act he could have done. It is good to see that Tiger is coming back. I know he is going to make a dump truck load of money and he will continue to benefit from golf but it is the only way that he can keep it going until the next one comes along.

Tiger's Words

In the middle the Olympic Winter Games Tiger Woods gave his first press conference since the incident. He spoke for quite a while. He admitted he was wrong and asked to have his family left out of what he did. He did everything you are supposed to do except tell us when he is returning to Golf.

I understand that he needs time to learn how to behave properly. I know his view of reality was distorted and he needs to realign with the rest of us. Having said that, I believe Tiger Woods has a responsibility to Professional Golf and the PGA Tour to return to playing golf as soon as possible. Everything he has originated out of playing golf. He has taken so much over the years. His fortune is based on him golfing. I understand he will benefit from going back but there are so many people relying on his star power to run the golf machine.

At the end of the day, professional sport is entertainment. People pay (directly or indirectly) to see the best in the world do what they do. It is no secret that more people watch golf when Tiger plays. Not a few more, a significant number more. Like every sport, Golf needs as many spectators as it can get. Golf needs Tiger Woods swinging clubs.

Because of everything that Tiger Woods has taken from Golf, he must give back as soon as possible. Anything else would be disrespectful.

OK Tiger

Tiger Woods is the best golfer in the world. He is head and shoulders above the rest. When he plays the questions is Tiger or the field. He plays so well out of bad lies, maybe that is one of the things that makes him so appealing. If he is playing out of a good lie his approach shot will land just inside yours so he can watch the line when you putt. He can handle the pressure of being a one man machine. No teammates, no coach, just him. Yes he has his caddy and yes a caddy is important, but no one ever says that was a caddy error. He wears all the mistakes on his own and takes all the glory on his own.

It's starting to look like golf is all he is good at.

There is a rather long list of women that he has been unfaithful to his (super hot) wife with. So being a good husband is not on his list of things that he has been very good at.

Once this list became public, he has not managed the situation very well. I realize that he has people that deal with this for him, but they are not doing a very good job and he should have noticed and put them on the right course.

He is not doing a very good job at fixing the problem. Changing everything at once is rarely successful and becoming a recluse will only to serve to keep this story alive a lot longer.

So what should he be doing?

If he wasn't ready to settle down he probably shouldn't have but we all make mistakes and truly you are measured on how you handle your mistakes. So he got married and was having a whole lot on the side. Apparently this was not in the deal when he got married. I'm not going to belabour this point.

So what should he be doing?

He should be making a public statement, in person, in front of camera and reporters. Postings on his website are cold and impersonal. It could be written by anyone, and probably was. He should spill the facts in a straight up manner. He should clear the air.

He also should be playing golf. The world we live in is a lot of 'what have you done for me lately.' Well, lately Tiger, you have been cheating. We need to see him golfing. We need to see him winning. That is familiar to us. It will feel right to us. We will fall back into that groove very quickly. Yes there will be a lot said about him on is comeback. Yes the commentators on TV will talk way too much about it. Yes all eyes will be on him, but this is what he is good at.

Many athletes have problems staying faithful. It's no secret these days. As long as they win we seem to forgive, or at least look the other way. We will be the same with Tiger. You may think it will be different but it won't. We may not look at him as squeaky clean again. He may seem a bit more human. We now know he is not perfect. That may change the mystique but if he wins we will invite him back into our hero basket and that is what he really needs.

OK Tiger, its your shot, you're deep in the rough, put in on the green near the pin like you so often do.