Tiger Returns

Tiger Woods returns to the field of play at The Masters

"Coming into today, I didn't know what to expect with regards to reception, but I'll tell you what, the reception couldn't have been better...it was incredible."(NBC Sports)

He's back. Tiger Woods will be teeing off once again this week at The Master's -- after enduring weeks of criticism about his personal life.

A CNBC host interviews Golf.com's David Dusek -- who followed Woods through his entire first practice round today. And he was surprised by the reaction Woods got: "It was dead silent for the first four holes. There wasn't a peep out of anyone. People didn't know what to do. They didn't know if it was going to be okay to clap. Was it cool? Now, since Tiger Woods is right there. They didn't know what to do. Is it morally wrong, somehow, to show support for this guy?" 

CNN talked with another analyst from Golf.com -- who saw a nervous Woods: "I thought Tiger showed a human side. He looked humble. He looked nervous at first. He actually called his playing partner from today, Fred Couples, by the name Craig. And his voice squeaked when he did it."

And while some criticized the crowds, the press and the PGA for treating Woods with kid gloves... Steven Smith told ABC's The View -- people wouldn't want him on the sidelines: "Oh no -- because you wanna see Tiger play. You wanna see Tiger win. I don't care how much people despise him or find him repugnant at this moment in time. When it comes to him playing golf -- you wanna see him out on the course. I don't want to see no Ernie Els."

ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski says that might be so, but Woods' trustworthiness does still matter. He suggests Woods press conference was a good first step: "Woods has gone from baby steps to fuller steps, but I'm still not prepared to take that full Tiger plunge. ... Let's see if Woods can sustain this personal transformation. Talk is cheaper than an Augusta National pimento sandwich. Time for Woods to prove the actions match the words."

Writer: Tracy Pfeiffer

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