Tiger Woods should feel right at home when he makes his comeback next month at Augusta National. (Chris O'Meara/AP)
By David Haugh
In the Wake of the News
Go ahead, take the field.
I'll take Tiger.
I don't care if the Masters will be Tiger Woods' first tournament of 2010 and he will have more rust than a '97 Taurus.
I don't care if Woods may hear more jokes about his sex life during a practice round at Augusta than Howard Stern tells during his radio show.
We're talking about maybe the most maniacally focused athlete of the post-Jordan era of sports. Never will he be more motivated to succeed in golf than after so many Americans mocked his failures in life. I'll take a rusty Tiger trying to prove the world wrong over, well, just about anybody from Phil Mickelson to Padraig Harrington.
When I first heard Tuesday morning that Woods announced he would be returning to golf at the Masters -- and a game said hallelujah -- logic initially said be patient, realistic and modest in regard to expectations. But upon further review, Woods chose to return to a venue ideally suited for the occasion of his return. Why can't he win under those circumstances?
"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," Woods said in a statement.
"The major championships have always been a special focus in my career and, as a professional, I think Augusta is where I need to be, even though it's been a while since I last played."
In crisis, surround yourself with friends. Has any gallery been kinder to Woods throughout his career than Augusta's? It will feel safe, comfortable, familiar. The good people of Georgia will embrace Woods warmer and tighter than any other he could have chosen to play in front of for the first time in 2010.
Nobody says it will be easy. The Woods we saw last month make a statement about his recovery sounded like a humbled, mini-version of the larger-than-life character we are used to seeing sink putts and sell cars and energy drinks. But he was the best golfer in the world the last time he competed and those skills remain.
Remember that the last time Woods played, Nov. 15, he won the Australian Masters in Melbourne, Australia. Woods' hiatus was self-imposed by self-destruction to his personal life that began two weeks later. Straightening that out will be harder for Woods than his drives.
"I have undergone almost two months of inpatient therapy and I am continuing my treatment," Woods said in his statement. "Although I'm returning to competition, I still have a lot of work to do.''
Golf needs Tiger back on the course. Sports needs Woods back with a club in his hand. Everybody benefits seeing somebody do what they do better than anybody in the world. Admiring the skill of an athlete such as Woods doesn't necessarily mean you condone his lifestyle choices. Keep the focus inside the rope line.
No more tales from the Mississippi sex-addiction rehab clinic or comments from ambulance drivers recalling how conscious Tiger was the night he crashed.
No more still shots of Tiger on the jog or in his yard, please. No more status updates on where he and his wife, Elin, spent the night. We've had enough. TMZ can return Tiger to the Golf Channel now.
In that vein, it's time to pay attention to Tiger's scoring efficiency in PGA terms again.
Nobody will care as much about all the salaciousness of Woods' life if he trails by two strokes on the back nine on Sunday at the Masters.
And if he does, critics still can root against Woods if they wish.
But I sure wouldn't bet against him.
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Gee all this time I thought the comments section was for discussion of the piece just written. Just skip right over the english teachers and the relevancy police. As soon as I read a critique on the writer in a comments section instead of discussion aimed at the SUBJECT of said piece, I immediately tune it out. THAT is what is IRRELEVANT........Oh and David Haugh is pretty knowledgeable in the subject of sports. So is Morrisey. Even though I disagree sometimes, I read because they frequently write very cogent analysis that helps sports fans zero in on the facts. It's all I ask in a piece.......
IronMike, what do you think this is?
The comments section is for vitriol. You either comment on 1) How much you hate the team, it's coach, it's General Manager, it's owner and how the entire organization is out to screw the fans 2) How much you hate the writer and how newspapers are going down the tube 3) How much you hate the other commentors. I choose the latter :)
It would be a better paper if DOUBTER left. Just take your venom over to the Sun Times, where even Jay Mariotti felt at home for a LONG time. I like this piece - and I haven't said that a lot recently about Mr. Haugh's work - and I certainly wouldn't call it irrelevant. Like it or not - for the past 14 years, Tiger Woods has been news. For the past 14 weeks, he has been BIG news. Haugh's piece is intersting AND relevant - a combination he should stick with. If you don't like it, get out.
Which hole do you like him in, Haugh?
Another column that should be filed under "In the Wake of Relevance".
You know a paper is bad ifneven Morrissey leaves.
Tiger will be more valuable to advertisers after this ordeal than he ever was. Nothing plays better to the public than coming back.
GL Tiger.