Tiger Woods to Make His Return in April at the Masters

Tiger Woods announced on Tuesday that he will make his return to the PGA Tour in early April at the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia after taking a leave from the game to focus on his family.

“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.”

Woods has been away from the public eye since he crashed his Cadillac Escalade last year over the Thanksgiving weekend, setting off an all-out barrage on his public image. The resulting backlash from his multiple marital infidelities has led to the loss of numerous sponsors and shame brought upon his family.

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T), Accenture PLC (NYSE: ACN) and PepsiCo Inc. (NYSE: PEP) have all cut ties with the world’s No. 1 golfer, while Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) and Proctor & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG) are among some of those who have stuck by Woods throughout the scandal.

The Masters could be an ideal place for Woods to make his return. Not only is it a course that has yielded some of his greatest performances, it is also a private club that will restrict the level of media that will be able to access the competitors, making it easier for Woods to concentrate on the tournament and not on the circus swirling around his career.

Woods has won the Masters on four separate occasions in 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2005.

You May Also Be Interested In

• Bernstein on China Online Beauty: Very Weak July Performance
• Morgan Stanley sees Fed on hold through year-end on disinflation
• NANO Nuclear Announces Participation in Several Investor Conferences