Tiger Woods To Play At The Augusta Masters

Tiger Woods ended all the speculation about his participation in the Masters by announcing on Tuesday that he will play at the Augusta Masters next month.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the golfer said, “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.” He added, “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.”

The golf star, whose steamy affairs with as many as ten women became public three months ago, also said that even though he was returning to play competitive golf, there was still a lot of work to be done in his personal life. Tiger Woods had apologized about his actions in a press conference held a month ago. Back then, he said that he would return to play golf one day; however, he was not sure when that day will be. Although there were expectations that Woods would return to golf sometime later this year, today’s announcement would have surprised many.

The reaction from the golf world to Woods’ announcement of making a return to competitive golf at this year’s Augusta Masters was generally good. Malcolm Booth, R&A spokesman, said, “We’re pleased to hear that Tiger is to return to golf. Golf needs the world No. 1 to be playing.” While golfer John Daly said, “Tiger doesn’t have anything to prove to anybody. He’ll be focused on what he needs to do. The thing about Augusta is it’s not like you can just walk in and buy a ticket, so it’s tough and there’s less crowds.” With Tiger announcing a comeback at Augusta, bookmakers in U.K. favor him 4-1 to win the tournament.