AUGUSTA, Ga. - Tiger Woods saw it as a gathering of friends and, indeed, it all started with a hug of the first guy he saw wearing a green jacket.

By the time he finished, some of his new friends probably felt like giving Woods hugs themselves. After all, who in their right mind wouldn’t get choked up after hearing the sad tale of a man who will live forever with the guilt of missing his son’s first birthday?

If this was all an act, Woods should be given an Oscar instead of another green jacket. As a performance it was just as masterful as any Woods has given us on his way to four wins at Augusta National.

He talked softly. He was contrite. He even called his “friends” by their first names.

It helps, of course, that the facts never got in the way. The 207 reporters who crowded into the interview room at the Masters did their best, but Woods was as slippery as the 18th green when he wanted to be.

Besides, it’s hard to kick a guy when he’s down. Maybe not so hard when you’re an alleged mistress — one of many.

“I think he’s still a big, fat liar,” adult film star Joslyn James said

A lot of others probably think the same thing, and it’s easy to see why. When you live a lie for as many years as Woods did, even 45 days in therapy may not be enough to change anything.

But the tone was perfect, the delivery impeccable. In just 35 minutes, Woods pulled off the kind of serious damage control he seemed incapable of doing in the previous five months.

He even tossed in a couple of little factoids just to make sure no one went away empty- handed.

No, he wasn’t going to say how he smashed his Escalade into a fire hydrant last Thanksgiving night. But he did, for the first time, confirm he got a sore neck and five stitches in his lip from the accident.

As for the other details of the accident, he said he did everything to the letter of the law. No one else’s business, and no need to address reports that he may have been under the influence of painkillers and sleeping tablets when he got behind the wheel of the 5,500-pound vehicle.

“Well, the police investigated the accident and they cited me 166 bucks and it’s a closed case,” Woods said.

Unfortunately for Woods, another 166 bucks won’t make the questions all go away. The sex scandal seems to have a half-life of its own and every time he makes an attempt to move past it, one of his mistresses pops up to remind everyone what a cad he really is.

In this case it was James, who invited the media to a watch-Tiger-with-me party at the Friars Club in Manhattan, where she countered Woods’ portrayal of himself as a devoted father by claiming he was with her just 10 days after his daughter was born. She also poked holes in his claim that he wasn’t having much fun while having to live a lie.

“He was having a good time from what he told me,” said James, who, not so coincidentally, will be performing at the Pink Pony strip club in Atlanta during the Masters.

Another woman in Woods’ life may not be totally convinced of his intentions to lead a better and more spiritual life, either. Woods declined to say what his relationship is right now with his wife, Elin, but he did say she wasn’t going to be with him in Augusta this week.

Ultimately, of course, people are going to believe what they want to believe, and the lack of candor by Woods in discussing the scandal probably doesn’t matter in the long run. A certain segment of the population will always hold him in contempt, but when it comes to superstars most people tend to be forgiving and have short memories.

They’re not going to care months from now that Woods hides behind a police report, or that he hasn’t fully disclosed his relationship with a Canadian doctor who faces charges involving human growth hormone. They’re going to believe him when he says he now knows that family means everything, and that what he really wants to do is help others like him.

Woods likely already won some people back with his first real answers to real questions. He’ll win some more if he follows through on his pledge to be more respectful of the game, something that was on display in Monday’s practice round when he smiled often and signed autographs.

“To be out there in front of the people where I have done some things that are just horrible, and you know, for the fans to really want to see me play golf again, I mean, that felt great,” Woods said. “That really did.”

The newly introspective Woods, though, will have to find a way to fit his new persona into his old game. Giving up fist bumps and cursing could come at a price, he acknowledged, because they have sometimes helped him win even when all seemed lost.

Still, a flash of the old bravado remains as he returns to a game that has missed him terribly.

“Nothing’s changed. I’m going to go out there and try to win this thing,” Woods said.

If that happens, it would be one of the greatest sports stories ever. It would also speed up the public rehabilitation that began in earnest Monday on the same course where his career took off when he became the youngest to ever win a green jacket in 1997.

It seems improbable, even impossible.

So, too, though, did the sex scandal that started it all.

Source (article): MSNBC

Source (pictures): LIVEJOURNAL, GOLFDIGEST, BABBLE, SPORTSALEX

The Southern hospitality Augusta National Golf Club can provide certainly must appeal to Tiger Woods. For a man looking to re-invent himself, trying to foam a runway and softly land his badly damaged image, the Masters has irresistible charm.

Augusta doesn’t cotton to strangers, doesn’t suffer fools. The green coats won’t be expanding the press credential list or setting up an auxiliary press center. Those there to observe this Masters will be largely those that observed the last one, the last many for that matter. The grounds might be bursting with azaleas and magnolias, but you won’t see any paparazzi in bloom.

What’s more, you aren’t likely to hear any offensive taunts or catcalls from the galleries. Folks who are fortunate enough to get their paws on a gate pass at Augusta approach this golf tournament the way they might approach the Soup Nazi in an episode of “Seinfeld.” They don’t dare draw attention to themselves; they watch their p’s and q’s.

Loudmouths and wiseacres are not well-received. Song birds and piano music are the sounds of choice. Just ask Gary McCord about Augusta’s sense of humor. For the most part, save for structured news conferences, Woods will be able to go about his professional business at the Masters.

There will be nothing inside the ropes other than caddies in white overalls and some 7,450 yards of “Tiger-proofed” turf, a golf course, Woods has counted four times among his 14 major championships.

In terms of passive environments, Augusta might as well be Eden for the scarred Sir Eldrick. Even Dr. Drew would approve of the Friendly Fruitlands. The path to golf focus will be as uncluttered as it can get.

Ah, yes, but there’s the rub. As he attempts to ease his perforated private life into an orderly professional career, as he performs CPR on television executives and restores normal breathing for PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, Woods has to play golf. Moreover, he has to play well.

The quickest way the game’s No. 1 star can put these unsavory months behind him is to change the content from “birds” to birdies, to sensationalize what is going inside the ropes rather than outside, to bring back comparisons to Jack Nicklaus and perspectives about his rank in golf history.

Al Davis can tell Woods how to make all this go away: “Just win, baby.”

But winning golf tournaments, much less majors, is never a layup, even for Woods. His career winning percentage in majors is 33 percent, which is fabulous stuff. Only Bobby Jones has a better mark, a 44 percent winning clip that demands some qualification. The definitions were significantly different during Jones’ illustrious career in the 1920s and early 1930s.

But to re-iterate, before “Driveway-gate,” before the parade of embarrassing phone messages and seamy soirees, when mental fortitude was Woods’ calling card, he failed to win 67 percent of the majors he entered. Now, he will attempt to make a major championship his first competition in five months.

And Ari Fleischer will be no help when it comes to answering the kind of questions the greens at Augusta will pose.

No one knows this better than Woods, which makes his decision to go straight to Augusta, without passing go, without collecting first-place money at Bay Hill — which he seems to do annually — all the more intriguing.

No warm-up act to iron out kinks in his swing. No dipping the toe in the waters of tournament golf to re-acclimate himself. Woods is starting off at the top, in a major.

This is not new territory for Woods. He tried this same cold turkey trick in 2006, going from an emotional frying pan into a U.S. Open fire at Winged Foot. It did not go well. After taking eight weeks off to mourn the passing of his father, Woods pulled trombones from his bag. He carded a pair of 76s, stumbled 12 strokes over par and missed the cut at a major for the first time in his professional career.

Michael Campbell, who played with Woods through those initial two rounds, noticed a difference. “He’s pretty focused, but the intensity wasn’t there as it normally is,” Campbell said afterward.

Yet, Woods has trumped that glitch as well. Two years later, he came back from eight weeks off for surgery on his knee and won the U.S. Open. He hobbled around Torrey Pines while defeating Rocco Mediate in a memorable Monday playoff.

Perhaps those conflicting results aren’t so confusing. Perhaps they speak to the essential ingredient in championship golf. The challenge at Winged Foot was personal, emotional, mental. The obstacle at Torrey Pines was mostly physical. Still mentally strong, Woods was able to overcome.

In that perspective, Augusta in April will be like Winged Foot in 2006, only the jump start in Georgia promises to be even more mentally challenging. We all know hitting balls on a range, practicing without consequences, is nothing like swinging the club when it counts. Only when thousands of people are watching, when millions of dollars are at stake, will Woods’ legendary ability to tunnel his vision be challenged. And it remains to be seen how he will react.

Given the incredible circumstances, one wonders if he can still afford to conduct himself with the same “intensity,” if he can slam clubs in anger, if he can launch the occasional f-bomb, if he can continue to be indifferent and unaffected toward the huge galleries. Or will Woods be more sensitive, more aware of his surroundings? He has said he will try to be more respectful of the game — how, exactly, will that affect his concentration?

Woods enjoyed an 88 percent USA TODAY/Gallup poll popularity rating in 2000. In recent weeks, his rating has dropped 52 points in the same poll.

Augusta will be a safe house; only golf will be spoken there. But the toll the past few months have taken on Woods remains unknown. Since the incident in November, he has appeared just once in public, in a controlled atmosphere on Feb. 19 at TPC Sawgrass. He addressed a television camera and 40 of his closest associates, including his mother. He looked sullen and uncomfortable. He read a statement and did not take questions.

The Masters might seem similar, but there will be at least one question asked, the most compelling question of all. After all that has happened, is Tiger Woods still the best player of his time?

Augusta can ask that question most succinctly. The challenge will be for Woods to provide the absolute answer.

Source (article): MSNBC

Source (picture): THEONION

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Tiger Woods is back at home after a week of family counseling in Arizona and is trying to get into a routine that includes golf and fitness, a person with knowledge of his schedule said Tuesday.

Woods returned to his home near Orlando on Saturday and has been hitting balls on the range at Isleworth, not far from where he ran his SUV into a tree in a middle-of-the-night accident on Nov. 27 that set off revelations of his extramarital affairs.

The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because only Woods is authorized to release information about his schedule, said there is still no timetable for golf’s No. 1 player to return to competition.

Woods was photographed hitting golf balls at Isleworth on Feb. 18, the day before he ended nearly three months of silence by speaking to a small group of associates in a 13 1/2-minute statement that was televised around the world. Those photos of Woods were arranged to counter the paparazzi trying to follow his every move since Thanksgiving.

Woods has not practiced in earnest since winning the Australian Masters in Melbourne on Nov. 15 for his 82nd victory worldwide.

News of him getting back into a routine is sure to begin speculation when he might return to the PGA Tour. Woods announced on Dec. 4 that he was taking an “indefinite break” to try to salvage his marriage.

“I do plan to return to golf one day, I just don’t know when that day will be,” Woods said Feb. 19 in his statement at Sawgrass. “I don’t rule out that it will be this year.”

Woods said he was leaving the next day for more therapy, without saying what kind. The person who spoke to The Associated Press said he went to Arizona for a week of family and marriage counseling with his wife, Elin.

Woods said at Sawgrass of his infidelity, “As Elin pointed out to me, my real apology to her will not come in the form of words; it will come from my behavior over time. We have a lot to discuss; however, what we say to each other will remain between the two of us.”

Woods is not likely to play next week in the World Golf Championship at Doral, where he has won three times.

His next possibility on the PGA Tour is the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, where he is the defending champion and a six-time winner. The Masters, which Woods has played every year since 1995, would follow. Augusta National officials have not indicated whether they expect Woods to compete.

“When he does come back, I hope it’s in the Masters, and I hope he’s in great form,” Masters champion Angel Cabrera said Tuesday on a conference call.

The fallout from Woods’ sex scandal has been immense. He already has had three sponsors drop him - Accenture, AT&T and, most recently, Gatorade - while other companies like Gillette have suspended promotions of Woods while he takes his break from golf.

When he does return, he will have a different logo on his golf bag, replacing AT&T, if he can find a deal.

Source (article): MSNBC

Source (picture): KVOA

PepsiCo-owned Gatorade said the decision to axe the Tiger Focus drink was made a few months ago.

Since the 14-times major winner crashed his car on 27 November, many women have claimed to have had affairs with Woods.

There are also reports that adverts featuring Woods have vanished from US prime-time broadcast and cable TV.

According to data from US media research firm Nielsen, the last prime-time advert featuring the 33-year-old golfer was a 30-second Gillette item on 29 November.

That commercial was broadcast eight times during November, Nielsen spokesman Aaron Lewis said.

Woods’ other sponsors include consultancy firm Accenture. He is reported to be the first sports star to be worth more than $1bn.

Nike has been Woods’ biggest sponsor since the start of his career, signing its first contract with him as long ago as 1996.

‘Mentally tough’

He signed a five-year deal with Gatorade in 2007 for an estimated $100m (£61.7m).

“We decided several months ago to discontinue Gatorade Tiger Focus along with some other products to make room for our planned series of innovative products in 2010,” said PepsiCo in a statement.

The marketing of Gatorade is closely linked to sports. Other athletes it sponsors include former basketball player Michael Jordan and sprinter Usain Bolt.

Gatorade Tiger Focus was launched as a sports drink aimed at athletes.

Gatorade’s website describes Gatorade Tiger Focus to be a drink “designed with athletes in mind, helping them to be as mentally tough as they are physically”.

The decision to drop the drink was first reported by soft-drinks’ industry newsletter, Beverage Digest, on 25 November - two days before Woods crashed his car and sparked off the chain of events which continues to feature in the global media.

Tiger Force was launched in March 2008, and according to Beverage Digest the Woods-backed drink represented less than 5% of Gatorade’s volume.

Source (article): BBCNEWS

Source (picture): EXAMINER

The golfer was found semi-conscious with facial injuries after his car reportedly hit a fire hydrant and tree.

In a statement on his website the golfer said the only person responsible for the crash in Florida “was me”.

He added: “The many false, unfounded and malicious rumours that are currently circulating about my family and me are irresponsible.”

The incident occurred in the suburb of Isleworth, an exclusive area near Orlando, at 0225 local time (0725 GMT) on Friday.

Florida police officers were told Woods’ wife Elin had used a golf club to break the car’s rear window and help him out.

Police were expected to question Woods about the incident on Sunday but the Associated Press reported that the meeting was cancelled for the third straight day.

Sgt Kim Montes of the Florida Highway Patrol said Woods’ lawyer did not reschedule the meeting.

In a statement posted online about an hour before he was due to be interviewed, Woods said: “My wife, Elin, acted courageously when she saw I was hurt and in trouble. She was the first person to help me. Any other assertion is absolutely false.

“This incident has been stressful and very difficult for Elin, our family and me. I appreciate all the concern and well wishes that we have received.

“But, I would also ask for some understanding that my family and I deserve some privacy no matter how intrusive some people can be.”

On Sunday authorities released a recording of a 911 emergency call made by the golfer’s neighbour after the incident.

In a shaken voice, he says: “I need an ambulance immediately. I have someone down in front of my house. They hit a pole.”

Woods, who has been married for five years and has two young children, has recently been the subject of tabloid allegations about his private life.

Asked about reports the couple had been arguing in the hours leading up to the crash, the police said they were treating the incident as a traffic accident, not a domestic issue.

According to the highway patrol, alcohol was not a factor in the incident.

Chief Daniel Saylor of the Windermere Police Department said: “From what we understand, his wife came out of the house when she heard the accident, him hitting the fire hydrant, (and) used a golf club - that’s what we were told - to break out the rear window to gain entrance into the vehicle, removed him from the vehicle and laid him down in the street.

“He was in and out of consciousness with lacerations to his upper and lower lip, with a little bit of blood in his mouth, but he was conscious enough to be able to speak a little bit. According to my officers, it was not life-threatening injuries.”

In comments to the Associated Press news agency, Chief Saylor said his officers found the 33-year-old lying in the street with his wife hovering over him.

“She was frantic, upset. It was her husband laying on the ground.”

Source (article): BBC.CO.UK

Source (picture): THEMEHYBRID, INTOTHEROUGH