Palm Harbor, Fla. (AP)— For Tiger Woods, this figures to be a Masters like no
other.
Woods said Tuesday he will 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 April 8.
No other major championship attracts such a large television
audience, and
that’s under normal circumstances.
Already the most popular figure in golf with his 82 worldwide
victories and
14 in majors—four of them at the Masters—Woods returns as a disgraced
star
who will be under the greatest scrutiny of his career.