Tiger set to return to a game that needs him badly

 

Roar Pro

By Alec Swann, 21 Mar 2010 Alec Swann is a Roar Pro

Tagged:

 Golf, Tiger Woods, US Masters

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Tiger Woods watches his drive off the 5th tee during the second round of the Memorial Tournament at the Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, Friday, June 4, 2004. AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast

On the Richter scale of surprise announcements, Tiger Wood’s scheduled reappearance at the Masters in April would’ve barely registered.

The rumour mill has been in overdrive ever since his nocturnal activities came to light and a week hasn’t gone by without the latest update on his return to the golfing world.

There was next to no chance, as has been suggested, that his golfing days were over. A player at the peak of his powers, however screwed his private life might be, is not simply going to walk away from the sphere that he dominates.

What he has done cannot be condoned, and given his profile it will take a long time for that line of questioning to disappear, but hiding away was never going to be the answer.

In fact, getting back on the golf course will do him some good and it isn’t putting too much emphasis on one man to suggest that the sport has missed him.

Woods’ absences through injury have always put an asterix by the achievements of his peers when he hasn’t been in the field.

There is almost the insinuation that winning a tournament is worth just that bit less if the number one guy isn’t around. Nonsense of course, but there nevertheless.

Just one look at the world rankings confirms the scale to which Woods rules his chosen sport.

Despite not setting foot on a course for a few months, he is way ahead of his nearest challenger and would be so if he put the clubs in the garage for the rest of the year.

As to whether he can pick up where he left off, it’s difficult to say. The game needed is hard to hone away from the arena of competition and it could take a while to slide back into a familiar groove.

What is clear is that those with a vested interest want Woods back.

TV companies, advertisers and the various media outlets will thrive on what could be a sporting event with an astronomical profile. The Masters is big enough as it is. This year’s instalment will be massive.

No one man is bigger than their respective sport, but just wait and see.

Next month you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise.

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