A Monday At The Masters Like No Other

Thursday, April 01, 2010

A Masters Monday Like No Other

Ron Green, Charlotte Observer Columnist

Aside from a couple of weather-delayed finishes, this will be the most anticipated Monday in Masters history.

Typically, Masters Mondays are soft as players arrive and begin their preparation in earnest. It's easy even with enormous galleries taking advantage of the opportunity to spend a few hours at Augusta National.

This one's different because it's the day Tiger Woods officially returns to golf. He's already been to Augusta National to play practice rounds and he may play there on Sunday.

But Monday will be the first time Woods plays in front of galleries and it's the day he'll face the media in the interview room. Monday will have an uncommon buzz.

Fred Couples has said he's planning to play a practice round with Woods Monday at Augusta and they'll probably be on the course early, given Tiger's 2 p.m. date with the media. It wouldn't be surprising to see Mark O'Meara playing with them.

It will be interesting to see how Woods interacts with the spectators, who won't be allowed on the grounds until 8 a.m. Will he talk more to them? Will he pose for the occasional photo? Or will he stayed tucked beneath the bill of his cap, rarely glancing sideways?

Woods' press conference has drawn so much attention that only a limited number of media members will be admitted to the interview room. There's only so much space in the interview room and it's too small to accommodate everyone who wants to be in there.

I'm guessing Tiger will spend a minimum of 30 minutes, maybe up to an hour, taking questions. Given what he's said in his public statement and the two television interviews he's done, I think we have a good idea of what we'll hear.

He'll answer some things, avoid others. I don't need to hear details from him. He'll be pushed for details on what happened the night of his auto accident, when all of this began unfolding, but it's unlikely he'll offer more than he has.

It will be an uncomfortable time for him but once it's done, he can move on. When asked about his troubles at future events, he can say he said all he's going to say at the Masters. It won't satisfy everyone but he'll understand that going in.

It's important for Woods to do this press conference and get it behind him. It's remarkable the amount of coverage his personal life has received. It says something about our culture that Woods made the front page of the New York Post 20 consecutive days, one day longer than the 9/11 attacks were on the front page in the city where they happened.

Masters week starts Monday. This year, the world will be watching.