Tiger Woods To Return To Golf In April

After the announcement that Tiger Woods intends to break his silence last Friday, everyone is speculating about when the world's No. 1 golfer will return to golf. Tiger Woods played in a tournament in mid-November last year. Over Thanksgiving weekend, he was injured after crashing his sport-utility vehicle into a fire hydrant and a tree near his home outside of Orlando, Fla. In subsequent weeks, at least a dozen women claimed or were reported to have had affairs with him. Last December 2, Tiger Woods said via his website the TigerWoods.com that "I have let my family down," and 9 days later he said he would take an indefinite break from golf.

The PGA Tour, which runs the three major men's professional golf tours in the U.S., said it welcomed Mr. Woods's decision to play at Augusta. "He has invested a lot of time taking steps, both in his personal and professional life, in order to prepare for his return," said the PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem. Augusta is where Tiger Woods became a household name, winning the Masters in 1997 at age 21. He was not only the youngest-ever winner of the tournament, but he set records for 72-hole score with 270 and victory margin of 12 strokes. He also won at Augusta in 2001, 2002 and 2005.

In addition, it's a tournament where Tiger Woods often finishes near the top of the field even when he doesn't hit the golf ball particularly well. He hasn't missed the cut—when the field of players is pared down after the tournament's second day—at Augusta since his 1997 pro debut.

"The Masters is where I won my first major and I view this tournament with great respect, after a long and necessary time away from the game, I feel like I'm ready to start my season at Augusta. I have undergone almost two months of inpatient therapy and I am continuing my treatment,When I finally got into a position to think about competitive golf again, it became apparent to me that the Masters would be the earliest I could play. I called both Joe Lewis and Arnold Palmer and expressed my regrets for not attending the Tavistock Cup and the Arnold Palmer Invitational. I again want to thank them both for their support and their understanding. Those are fantastic tournaments, and I look forward to competing in them again. I would also like to thank the Augusta National members and staff for their support. I have deep appreciation for everything that they do to create a wonderful event for the benefit of the game.” said Tiger Woods on his statement.

Tiger Woods apologized in public February 19, 2010, and since then speculation has focused on when he would return. Tiger Woods said that while he's returning to competition, he still has a lot of work to do in his personal life.

Augusta also is in many ways the most comfortable environment in which the golf master Tiger Woods could make his comeback. Augusta National exerts tighter controls on both the crowd and the media than any other event on the PGA Tour calendar. Crowds are typically significantly smaller than at the other major tournaments, and it's the only major tournament in the U.S. where reporters aren't allowed inside "the ropes," the area limited to players and their caddies, and officials.

Tiger Woods has won 14 major championships in hie career, the others being four PGA Championship titles, 3 U.S. Opens and three British Opens.