Tiger Woods – The Return Interactive graphic: Augusta Masters Golf Tournament PDF: Tiger Woods press conference transcript
Tiger Woods seemed calm Monday sitting before a room full of reporters for the first time since his personal life became the hottest topic this side of health care.
He probably has taken part in tens of thousands of news conferences — he was on national television with a golf club before he turned 3 — but this was different. This was not about famous accomplishments as much as formal acknowledgments.
He appeared nervous, and that made him look human.
He eschewed a script, and that made him sound believable.
He spoke from the heart, finally, and that made him appear comfortable for the first time since Thanksgiving.
He answered difficult questions Monday about his infidelity, his relationship with a doctor connected to performance-enhancing drugs, his injuries from the infamous crash that started the public’s obsession with his spiraling personal nightmare and his dalliances with painkillers.
There was not a lot of new ground covered, but Woods seemed newly familiar in his Easter egg-esque shirt and white cap adorned with the traditional Swoosh logo of one of the only sponsors that did not break ties with the planet’s most famous athlete.
He continued the themes of his 13 1/2 minute speech in February and the two five-minute interviews for the Golf Channel and ESPN. He said some things were “personal” — most notable Monday was Woods declining to say what his rehab treatment was for and his chilly-dip response to whether he was on drugs when he wrecked on Thanksgiving night — and accepted responsibility for his actions.
Great, let’s play golf.
This is not meant as a pass for his actions or any semblance of an excuse. Woods does not need or warrant them. He did what he did: Divorce or no, he disgraced his family and missed his son’s first birthday because he was in rehab. He lied to more people than Nixon and fooled more of us than Candid Camera.
No, he’s made his bunker and now he’s trying to rake it. He said his wife Elin would not attend this week’s Masters, and his references of being there for his kids painted a difficult picture for the future of his marriage.
That’s the thing. Of course it’s easy to feel bad for his family, but the feeling of betrayal is hard to ignore.
On the course where we got to know Tiger the golfer, he has made the impossible seem routine.
Off the course, where we never knew Tiger the person, our expectations remained the same. Now, when the larger-than-life Woods faced an impossible situation of his own creation, we expected his redemption to be as easy and impressive as his chip on No. 16 five years ago on his way to his fourth Masters title.
It’s not that simple; life never is. Not for anyone, including Tiger, and maybe that’s the biggest hurdle. The man who has made the game look so easy has little experience with this much struggle. He admitted as such.
Moreover, we have had almost no experience watching him fail.
Woods has won 82 golf tournaments around the world, including 14 major championships, and it’s scary to think what he might have done as a golfer if he had not been living a double life.
“I would like to say yes,” Woods said. “I would be more centered, more balanced, and that’s where I’m headed toward.”
He will play the Masters this week with the world watching and knowing what he’s done. With the lies and secrets finally aired and discussed, his time can be focused on golf and not the swirling concerns of which mistress may text which phone or who may see it.
Knowing what we know now, don’t you think Y.E. Yang got the best of a distracted Tiger in the PGA Championship? I do.
Whether it makes a difference on the course this week won’t be known until Thursday night at the earliest. If he starts quickly, anything — a 64, three eagles, who knows? — is possible. The inverse also is true.
But know this, everyone will be watching Tiger this week.
Only now, it’s for golf again. Finally.