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Palm Harbor, Florida. For Tiger Woods, this figures to be a Masters like no other.

Woods said on Tuesday that he would end more than four months of seclusion and play at Augusta National in three weeks, shielded by the most secure environment in golf as he competes for the first time since a sex scandal shattered his image.

“The Masters is where I won my first major and I view this tournament with great respect,” Woods said in a statement.

“After a long and necessary time away from the game, I feel like I’m ready to start my season at Augusta.”

The Masters begins on April 8.

No other major championship attracts such a large television audience, and that is under normal circumstances.

“We’re all looking forward to having him back. We want him playing,” PGA Tour player Jim Furyk said. “I’m sure we’re also looking forward to everything being business as usual. And it’s going to take a while. We know that.”

Woods last competed on Nov. 15 when he won the Australian Masters in Melbourne. Twelve days later, he drove his sport-utility vehicle over a fire hydrant and into a tree outside his Florida home, an accident that set off sordid tales of extramarital affairs. Woods announced on Dec. 11 that he would take an indefinite break to try to save his marriage.

“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,” Woods said.

“I have undergone almost two months of in-patient therapy and I am continuing my treatment,” he said. “Although I’m returning to competition, I still have a lot of work to do in my personal life.”

Augusta National chairman Billy Payne said the club supported Woods’s decision to make his return at the Masters, adding: “We support and encourage his stated commitment to continue the significant work required to rebuild his personal and professional life.”

The highest television rating for the Masters in the cable era was a 14.1 on the Sunday in 1997 when Woods, then 21, became the tournament’s youngest champion with a record 12-shot victory.

“Obviously, the ratings will be off the chart,” PGA Tour player Heath Slocum said.

“It will be interesting to watch — not only the reaction from him, but from the fans, the media, the players. I would venture to say he might be nervous,” Slocum said.

Masters media credentials are limited even in normal circumstances, and the club has tight control over who gets in.

Some fans with season badges risk losing them forever for violating rules, such as being caught with a mobile phone or a camera.

Most players expect Woods to be heckled, although not as much at the Masters.

“That’s why Augusta makes such good sense,” Furyk said. “There’s less of that than anywhere else.

“Everyone is afraid to lose their ticket. The etiquette and behavior [are] far better than anywhere else because of the fear factor.”

Still to be determined is the state of Woods’s game.



Associated Press