Tiger Getting his Second Chance

This past Monday afternoon, Tiger Woods addressed the media at Augusta National Golf Course in preparation for The Masters Tournament that starts this Thursday. This was Woods’ first open press conference with the media since his five months away from the game of golf.

We all know the story by now- Tiger crashed his Cadillac Escalade into a fire hydrant on November 27. On December 11, Woods admitted through his website that he had been unfaithful to his wife and was taking time away from golf to straighten out his personal life.

Woods’ sponsors jumped his ship very quickly- TAG HUER, Accenture, Gatorade, and AT&T to name a few. The once heralded golfer, who thousands and thousands of people admired and looked up to- was a liar; a cheater. His game was as real as real gets on the golf course- he was a fake off of the course. I looked up to Tiger- I enjoyed watching him play. The man made pressure shot after pressure shot looked like it was nothing; he makes difficult shots look easy that we only dream of hitting. He would birdie 6-8 holes every 18 holes; when I golf I hope for 6-8 birdies a year.
Woods disappeared for several months- most of the rumors placed him at a sexual rehabilitation clinic in Mississippi. After his extended stay in rehab, and a statement or two by Woods himself, it was fitting to finally see him hit some golf balls.

Make no mistake- Tiger still has a long way to go to win back not only his fans- but his family too. Now I cannot condone what Woods’ did off the course, but enough is enough. The media coverage that Woods is getting is- how should I put this- over the top.

Tiger has always been a top draw wherever he goes and he always will be. The American people are pretty forgiving, especially in the way of giving second chances (remember Kobe Bryant?). Tiger can recover from this whole incident; how much time it time it will take is all up to the man who wears a red sweater on Sundays. He can start wearing the sweater this Sunday afternoon at The Masters.