He's Back!!!

[Armchair]

TIGER TO BREAK SILENCE TOMORROW

By Mark Garrod, Press Association Sport Golf Correspondent, Tucson

All the speculation about how and when Tiger Woods will start to face the world again is about to end - the man himself will speak tomorrow.

Eighty-four days after he smashed his car, went to hospital and then disappeared from view in a bid to save his marriage as lurid sex allegations were made, Woods is finally making an appearance.

His image in tatters from revelations of multiple affairs with more than 20 women - if you believe all the tabloid stories - the world number one is not expected to answer any questions on this occasion, however.

Instead he will make a statement at the headquarters of the US PGA Tour in Florida.

Woods, who was reported to have spent weeks in a sex addiction clinic in Mississippi after Christmas, will talk in front of just a few invited reporters and one television camera.

Mark Steinberg, Woods' manager, said in a statement of his own: "Tiger Woods will be speaking to a small group of friends, colleagues and close associates at 11am (4pm GMT) Friday at the TPC Sawgrass clubhouse in Ponte Vedra Beach.

"Tiger plans to discuss his past and his future and he intends to apologise for his behaviour.

"This will not be an open media event. However, it is understood that there are many media who are interested in what he has say.

"In order to accommodate as best we can we are working to arrange pool coverage of Tiger's remarks."

Woods will presumably not be going over his 14 major wins when he comes to "discuss his past".

Worldwide interest now, of course, is focused on what he called his "transgressions" on his website in December before then admitting infidelity and announcing an indefinite break from the game.

As he went into hiding, the spotlight turned onto both the amazing double life he had been leading and the effect it would have on the sport and his standing in it.

Some of his sponsors wasted little time severing their ties, including Accenture, whose tournament is on in Arizona this week.

Woods took the attention away from their event yesterday when his plans for a statement were announced and the same will happen tomorrow when he almost certainly will reveal when he intends to resume his playing career.

Rory McIlroy, one of the star attractions in Tucson, said: "I suppose he might want to get something back against the sponsors that dropped him."

The 20-year-old also described himself as "sick" of hearing about Woods' personal life and added: "I'm just looking forward to when he's getting back on the golf course."

Next month appears the likeliest answer to that. Possibly it will be at the WGC-CA Championship in Miami on March 11-14, but the made-for-television Tavistock Cup at his home club Isleworth on March 22-23 has also been mentioned.

That is not a US Tour event and if he wants to play a 72-hole competition prior to The Masters in April then the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando on March 25-28 is favourite.

Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, who will be at the Woods announcement but has not spoken to him since the controversy started, was asked by Press Association Sport yesterday if he wanted his leading light back as soon as possible.

"In a vacuum we'd like him back as soon as possible, but we want him back importantly when he's dealt with the issues he felt like he had to deal with to come back," he said.

"I'm not going to assume anything. I'll wait and see what he says, like everybody else.

"I don't know what he's going to do after he finishes his rehab."

On whether Woods was undermining the Match Play with his timing, Finchem added: "I don't think so. I don't look at it that way. We have tournaments every week."

Publicist Max Clifford believes Woods will be able to ride out the intense public scrutiny sure to accompany his expected imminent return to golf.

Clifford believes Woods' profile, assuming he rediscovers his best form, will be unaffected.He told Sky News: "Nike have stayed with him, two or three of his major sponsors have stayed with him, because they don't think his activities away from the golf course will upset their clients.

"Obviously they study these things very carefully and the market research is very thorough. As long as Tiger Woods continues to be the greatest golfer in the world, the hundreds of millions will continue to flood in and he will be the biggest attraction anywhere he goes and plays golf."

[Donny B.]

Oh yay!!! Another shagging sportsman!!! How interesting!!!

What's the bets he's found Jesus? That's become the new "last refuge of the scoundrel"

[Armchair]

in fairness I haven't watched much golf since he stopped playing, Golf needs Tiger as much as Tiger needs golf right now, I for one will be glad to see him back

[johng]

Oh yay!!! Another shagging sportsman!!! How interesting!!!

What's the bets he's found Jesus? That's become the new "last refuge of the scoundrel"

Ahh used t'be all F&*ked up on Draags, then Ahh discovahed th'lord. Naah Ahh'm all F&*ked up on th'lord!

[Skinfull]

I don't believe in sex addiction...I mean seriously...that's like being addicted to breathing! Okay maybe not the best analogy but this whole trips to a clinic malarkay coz he likes to shag?!

And frankly I don't care what he does off the pitch, he's a golfer (not a sport by the way!) Who gives a sh!t what he's doing when he's not golfing!?

[Sauvignon Blank]

I don't believe in sex addiction...I mean seriously...that's like being addicted to breathing! Okay maybe not the best analogy but this whole trips to a clinic malarkay coz he likes to shag?!

And frankly I don't care what he does off the pitch, he's a golfer (not a sport by the way!) Who gives a sh!t what he's doing when he's not golfing!?

A truly Tea-spluttering remark

[Sauvignon Blank]

in fairness I haven't watched much golf since he stopped playing, Golf needs Tiger as much as Tiger needs golf right now, I for one will be glad to see him back

Golf will endure with or without him.
His Press statement later is ill timed and an affront to the WGC Matchplay sponsors and players alike.

[Armchair]

in fairness I haven't watched much golf since he stopped playing, Golf needs Tiger as much as Tiger needs golf right now, I for one will be glad to see him back

Golf will endure with or without him.
His Press statement later is ill timed and an affront to the WGC Matchplay sponsors and players alike.

Golf will endure without him BUT it will thrive with him, the numbers don't lie. When Tiger plays viewing figures all over the world increase. As Accenture has found out payback is a bitch. Some of the players half jokingly stated thet the tournament should be suspended for 10 or 15 minutes to hear what Tiger has to say.

[Grumpy Old Man]

Dear God that was painful.

[icebaby]

yep and I still don't really understand what a treatment clinic is going to do for him, is it the new world version of confession, I'll go to a clinic and all will be forgiven or forgotten

[Cianostays]

What's the bets he's found Jesus?

Apparently, he was raised as a Bhuddist. Not really a case of "what would Jesus do?" in his scenario.

[fourthirtythree]

What's the bets he's found Jesus?

Apparently, he was raised as a Bhuddist. Not really a case of "what would Jesus do?" in his scenario.

I don't know much about Buddhism but IIRC Sidharta Guatama (a prince or something) turned his back on wealth and starved himself under a tree to find enlightenment and become the buddha. My point being: sure he quit sex, but most first he had to quit wealth.

Can't see the Nike Pimp in Chief doing that...

[suisse]

in fairness I haven't watched much golf since he stopped playing, Golf needs Tiger as much as Tiger needs golf right now, I for one will be glad to see him back

Golf will endure with or without him.
His Press statement later is ill timed and an affront to the WGC Matchplay sponsors and players alike.

Golf will endure without him BUT it will thrive with him, the numbers don't lie. When Tiger plays viewing figures all over the world increase. As Accenture has found out payback is a bitch. Some of the players half jokingly stated thet the tournament should be suspended for 10 or 15 minutes to hear what Tiger has to say.

Absolutely. Colin Byrne once wrote before all of this that before Tiger joined the Tour, caddies were working class men moving from tournament to tournament in caravans and hitch-hiking. Now they travel first class worldwide. When Tiger won the moneylist in 1997, iirc, his winnings were just over $1,000,000. By 2008, he was making $12,000,000 from winnings alone.

Golf would obviously survive without Woods, but events will be cancelled, some Tours too, and it would be impossible to play professionally on the Challenger Tour without a major sponsor. It is hard to imagine the likes of Shane Lowry would would be where he is 15 years ago

[Sauvignon Blank]

Absolutely. Colin Byrne once wrote before all of this that before Tiger joined the Tour, caddies were working class men moving from tournament to tournament in caravans and hitch-hiking. Now they travel first class worldwide. When Tiger won the moneylist in 1997, iirc, his winnings were just over $1,000,000. By 2008, he was making $12,000,000 from winnings alone.

Golf would obviously survive without Woods, but events will be cancelled, some Tours too, and it would be impossible to play professionally on the Challenger Tour without a major sponsor. It is hard to imagine the likes of Shane Lowry would would be where he is 15 years ago

Colin Byrne is to Golf what Roddy Collins is to Louis Copeland suits.

Colin Byrne famously divulged on TV, when the Woods story broke.......'I have it on good authority that Tiger was going to the shops to get milk for the baby'.

Colin Byrne is a member of Royal Dublin. He is also a renowned clown in Golfing circles.

[Grumpy Old Man]

Colin Byrne is to Golf what Roddy Collins is to Louis Copeland suits.

Colin Byrne famously divulged on TV, when the Woods story broke.......'I have it on good authority that Tiger was going to the shops to get milk for the baby'.

Colin Byrne is a member of Royal Dublin. He is also a renowned clown in Golfing circles.

WTF is that meant to mean? Did he steal your girlfriend or something?

I don't know what golfing circles you move in but I'd wager he's a better player then you, a better caddy then you and knows a hell of a lot more about the game then you do. The only thing remotely true about your post is that he is a member of Royal Dublin. Do you have a problem with that? Is it with him personally or with all the members of that club?

[tackle-bag]

Colin Byrne is to Golf what Roddy Collins is to Louis Copeland suits.

Colin Byrne famously divulged on TV, when the Woods story broke.......'I have it on good authority that Tiger was going to the shops to get milk for the baby'.

Colin Byrne is a member of Royal Dublin. He is also a renowned clown in Golfing circles.

WTF is that meant to mean? Did he steal your girlfriend or something?

I don't know what golfing circles you move in but I'd wager he's a better player then you, a better caddy then you and knows a hell of a lot more about the game then you do. The only thing remotely true about your post is that he is a member of Royal Dublin. Do you have a problem with that? Is it with him personally or with all the members of that club?

Irrespective of what you think of Sauvignon's post, he does have a point. Byrne's comments above are quite simply horsesh!t - caddies for the top players were on good money for a long time before Woods came along. The stats cited by Suisse are also anything but accurate. Woods made 2 million in 1997 and his winnings peaked at just over 9 million in 2000. The reason for this rise, in addition to regular inflation, was the fact that he won twice as many tournaments in 2000 and also performed better in those he didn't win.

The willingness of people to blindly attribute the financial success of golf over the last 15 years to Woods' presence never ceases to astound me. Sure he has caused a certain increase in viewing figures and presented a large amount of promotional opportunities but he's not the saviour of golf in the manner so frequently depicted. The simple fact is that golf was in something of a doldrums when Woods came along in the mid-90s. Look at the major winners from those years: Steve Jones, Mark Brooks, Corey Pavin, Steve Elkington, Tom Lehman - all good players but hardly legends of the game. The game's rebirth must be attributed to the emergence of a whole new generation of exciting players such as Mickelson, Goosen, Singh, Harrington and Garcia. It is the competition between these guys and Woods that has attracted audiences and corresponding financial investment, not the mere presence of Woods himself.

[Sauvignon Blank]

Colin Byrne is to Golf what Roddy Collins is to Louis Copeland suits.

Colin Byrne famously divulged on TV, when the Woods story broke.......'I have it on good authority that Tiger was going to the shops to get milk for the baby'.

Colin Byrne is a member of Royal Dublin. He is also a renowned clown in Golfing circles.

WTF is that meant to mean? Did he steal your girlfriend or something?

I don't know what golfing circles you move in but I'd wager he's a better player then you, a better caddy then you and knows a hell of a lot more about the game then you do. The only thing remotely true about your post is that he is a member of Royal Dublin. Do you have a problem with that? Is it with him personally or with all the members of that club?

Irrespective of what you think of Sauvignon's post, he does have a point. Byrne's comments above are quite simply horsesh!t - caddies for the top players were on good money for a long time before Woods came along. The stats cited by Suisse are also anything but accurate. Woods made 2 million in 1997 and his winnings peaked at just over 9 million in 2000. The reason for this rise, in addition to regular inflation, was the fact that he won twice as many tournaments in 2000 and also performed better in those he didn't win.

The willingness of people to blindly attibute the financial success of golf over the last 15 years to Woods' presence never ceases to astound me. Sure he has caused a certain increase in viewing figures and presented a large amount of promotional opportunities but he's not the saviour of golf in the manner so frequently depicted. The simple fact is that golf was in something of a doldrums when Woods came along in the mid-90s. Look at the major winners from those years: Steve Jones, Mark Brooks, Corey Pavin, Steve Elkington, Tom Lehman - all good players but hardly legends of the game. The game's rebirth must be attributed to the emergence of a whole new generation of exciting players such as Mickelson, Goosen, Singh, Harrington and Garcia. It is the competition between these guys and Woods that has attracted audiences and corresponding financial investment, not the mere presence of Woods himself.

+1.

[Grumpy Old Man]

Irrespective of what you think of Sauvignon's post, he does have a point. Byrne's comments above are quite simply horsesh!t - caddies for the top players were on good money for a long time before Woods came along. The stats cited by Suisse are also anything but accurate. Woods made 2 million in 1997 and his winnings peaked at just over 9 million in 2000. The reason for this rise, in addition to regular inflation, was the fact that he won twice as many tournaments in 2000 and also performed better in those he didn't win.

The willingness of people to blindly attibute the financial success of golf over the last 15 years to Woods' presence never ceases to astound me. Sure he has caused a certain increase in viewing figures and presented a large amount of promotional opportunities but he's not the saviour of golf in the manner so frequently depicted. The simple fact is that golf was in something of a doldrums when Woods came along in the mid-90s. Look at the major winners from those years: Steve Jones, Mark Brooks, Corey Pavin, Steve Elkington, Tom Lehman - all good players but hardly legends of the game. The game's rebirth must be attributed to the emergence of a whole new generation of exciting players such as Mickelson, Goosen, Singh, Harrington and Garcia. It is the competition between these guys and Woods that has attracted audiences and corresponding financial investment, not the mere presence of Woods himself.

I think Byrnes comments were more to do with the fact that that caddies generally were better off, not just the caddies of the top players.

[Sauvignon Blank]

Colin Byrne is to Golf what Roddy Collins is to Louis Copeland suits.

Colin Byrne famously divulged on TV, when the Woods story broke.......'I have it on good authority that Tiger was going to the shops to get milk for the baby'.

Colin Byrne is a member of Royal Dublin. He is also a renowned clown in Golfing circles.

WTF is that meant to mean? Did he steal your girlfriend or something? No chance, judging by his camp appearance i'd say she is quite safe.
I don't know what golfing circles you move in but I'd wager he's a better player then you, a better caddy then you and knows a hell of a lot more about the game then you do. Wrong . He's not a better golfer than me, never was, is or will be. I played off Scratch at 19, 1 at present. He was probably scratching his balls outside the 19th in Royal Dublin by then.

The only thing remotely true about your post is that he is a member of Royal Dublin. Do you have a problem with that? Is it with him personally or with all the members of that club No not at all, it's just a club full of stuffy aul farts. I agree he's a better Caddy than me, and freely admit being talked down at, raking bunkers and replacing divots are not my forté nor is carrying someone elses tool box. Regards knowing 'a hell of a lot more about the game' than me? well thats a moot point. He is famous in golfing circles for posessing the amount of 'inside' information and 'knowledge' that could be put on the back of a postage stamp.?

[Grumpy Old Man]

Colin Byrne is to Golf what Roddy Collins is to Louis Copeland suits.

Colin Byrne famously divulged on TV, when the Woods story broke.......'I have it on good authority that Tiger was going to the shops to get milk for the baby'.

Colin Byrne is a member of Royal Dublin. He is also a renowned clown in Golfing circles.

WTF is that meant to mean? Did he steal your girlfriend or something? No chance, judging by his camp appearance i'd say she is quite safe.
I don't know what golfing circles you move in but I'd wager he's a better player then you, a better caddy then you and knows a hell of a lot more about the game then you do. Wrong . He's not a better golfer than me, never was, is or will be. I played off Scratch at 19, 1 at present. He was probably scratching his balls outside the 19th in Royal Dublin by then.

The only thing remotely true about your post is that he is a member of Royal Dublin. Do you have a problem with that? Is it with him personally or with all the members of that club No not at all, it's just a club full of stuffy aul farts. I agree he's a better Caddy than me, and freely admit being talked down at, raking bunkers and replacing divots are not my forté nor is carrying someone elses tool box. Regards knowing 'a hell of a lot more about the game' than me? well thats a moot point. He is famous in golfing circles for posessing the amount of 'inside' information and 'knowledge' that could be put on the back of a postage stamp.?

No idea what he plays off, but you probably win the better player argument alright! Although, as I'm sure you know, many of the top caddies are low handicappers themselves.
You're a bit harsh on the caddys role - a chance to earn good money, travel the world and be inside the ropes. While most people would prefer to be the player, being a caddy to a top player isn't a bad substitute.
I really don't understand your last point. It sounds like classic begrudgery to me. Are these notional golfing circles upset because he isn't passing the information on?