Tiger conference

Nobody was shot. The roof didn’t fall in. It was 35 minutes of elevator music. Normal service is resumed.

Just a few weeks ago, Tiger Woods looked lost and confused delivering his 13-mintute mea culpa on a stage at PGA HQ in Florida. Now, at Augusta, he looked and sounded like he’s back in control – at least in a golf environment.

He smiled and delivered a pretty decent charm offensive. But he had help. “I know a lot of my friends are in here and I haven’t seen them,” Tiger said.

So a big hug to those dear friends who asked about his knee and his putting. Sheesh. This press conference was a chance to quiz  Woods for the first time on that
crash last November, and about his relationship with Dr Anthony Galea, who was arrested for bringing banned drugs into Canada. 

When those questions WERE tossed towards him like hand grenades, he took cover in the scripted responses delivered in his mea culpa. It is clear he is never going to reveal anything about what really happened that Thanksgiving night. And he again repeated that he has never been treated for drug dependency and pronounced: “I have never taken any illegal drug.”

So, what DID Tiger reveal in 35 minutes at Augusta? You know, he said pretty much what I feel he has said already. The difference is the way he said it this time. That
old swagger in front of the enemy, sorry, friends, was back. And, I suppose, that’s a good thing. Sport needs its champions to be back in the arena entertaining fans
with extraordinary feats of sporting endeavour, not extraordinary feats of sexual prowess. Tiger has finally reached closure with all this mess.

There was no row, no-one was ejected, no-one booed. The circus, Woods hopes, has finally left town. A golf tournament can now begin on Thursday.

The highlight of being inside the press conference was sitting there for 20 minutes waiting for Tiger to turn up. There are about 600 reporters at Augusta but only seats for 150 in the interview room. So cloakroom tickets were allocated to one reporter per publication. The tension built as 2pm approached. It felt like a courtroom as heads craned waiting for the accused to arrive. The inquisition began.

The suspense turned to a subdued atmosphere. Tiger had come, not really to Open us, as Arnold Palmer had encouraged, but rather looking for a no-score draw. I failed. Never got to pump the World No.1. But here’s what I still want to know. “Tiger, you have said that nobody in your team knew what you were up to. But there’s a story in Vanity Fair that claims otherwise – who’s telling the truth? And here’s another: “You have admitted that you have lied and been deceitful, why should we believe you now? And one more: You claim you have changed? In what way? Are you still a control freak? Actions, and time, rather than Tiger’s words, will hopefully provide the answers.

In the meantime, this year’s Masters tournament has taken on extra significance.