Tiger will play Masters - Golf365 poll

By Dave Tindall Last updated: 16th December 2009

Tiger Woods will play at the 2010 Masters. That's the conclusion from Golf365's exclusive poll.

"When will Tiger Woods return to golf?" we asked, following the news that the world number one was taking an 'indefinite break' from the game in order to try to repair his marriage and reputation after admitting to infidelity.

We listed six different voting options and the results were pretty conclusive.

Before The Masters 46%
At The Masters 21%
At Open Championship 5%
At Ryder Cup 5%
2011 or beyond 15%
He will never return 8%

So whether his return comes before or at The Masters, 67%, or two thirds, of our readers believe Tiger will tee it up at Augusta.

As for the third (33%) of Golf365 voters who don't reckon he'll be back for The Masters, nearly half of those think he will take 2010 off before hitting the fairways again.

Perhaps the grilling he'll get from the UK tabloids means only 5% reckon he'll return at St Andrews and, for similar reasons, the Ryder Cup in Wales is regarded as just as unlikely.

Finally, 8% (roughly one in 12) predict the doomsday scenario of Tiger never returning to the game.

So how do Golf365's results stack up against other websites conducting similar polls?

It appears that voters on US-based websites have a more gloomy view.

The LA Times' voting options and results read:

He'll be back before The Masters 31%
He'll miss The Masters, but be back before the U.S. Open 9%
He'll miss The Masters and the U.S. Open, but be back before the British Open 6%
He'll return sometime in 2010, but will miss all four majors 7%
He won't be back until 2011 47%

The most startling figure there, of course, is the 47% who think Tiger will take the rest of 2010 off.

The Golf Channel puts a slightly different spin on matters, asking length of time Woods woulld be away from competitive golf rather than listing particular tournaments.

0-6 months 43%
6-12 months 26%
12-18 months 14%
Longer 16%

The Masters is five months away so it's probably reasonable to presume that many of those who voted 0-6 months reckon that he would return in time for a crack at a fifth Green Jacket.

But the latter two options '12-18 months' and 'Longer' add up to 30% of the vote, again suggesting that a large number of US golf fans are expecting a long-term absence.

Golfweek gets more specific.

San Diego Open (Jan. 28-31) 1%
Arnold Palmer Invitational (March 25-28) 22%
Masters (April 8-11) 19%
U.S. Open (June 17-20) 9%
After the U.S. Open 6%
He will not return in 2010 39%

Adding together Arnie's tournament with the Augusta vote means a solid 41% reckon Woods will make The Masters but it only just pips the 39% who reckon Tiger will be a no show in 2010.

Here's what those in the media say on the subject of when Woods will return:

Rex Hoggard (Senior Writer on the Golfchannel.com): I think Augusta National is a good start. Number one, he's always played well there. Number two, they're going to protect him. The Green Jackets are not going to allow anyone on to the property or into the press centre that is going to ask an uncomfortable question.

Charlie Rymer - Golf Channel analyst: I'm going to be really surprised if we see Tiger Woods tee it up at all in 2010.

Peter Dixon (The Times): Arnold Palmer Invitational. Just two weeks before the Masters, it would give him the chance to shake off some of the rust before he gets back to winning majors. And who is going to show disrespect to "Uncle Arnie" by giving Woods grief? When Palmer puts his arm around Woods - metaphorically, or literally - it will be the moment the world No 1 can start to rebuild his professional life.

Senior figure in Tiger's management agency IMG: "I can't see him being away for more than a few months. It goes without saying, his family comes first, but Tiger was born to play golf." (Source: timesonline.co.uk)

BBC golf commentator Andrew Cotter (via Twitter to Golf365): If he's not at The Masters, I'll buy an enormous Augusta hat from the pro shop & eat it. Or a pimento cheese sandwich - even harder.

Paddy Power's odds:

To play the 2010 US Masters: Yes 8/11, No Evens

First tournament Tiger Woods will play in 2010? US Masters 3/1, WGC Accenture Match Play 5/1, US Open 4/1, WGC CA Championship 10/1, Arnold Palmer Invitational 9/2, The Memorial 8/1, Dubai Desert Classic 33/1, The Players Championship 18/1, Any other event after the 2010 US Open 9/4

Tiger Woods to play a PGA Tour Event in 2010? Yes 1/10, No 5/1.

Dave Tindall (Golf365 editor): If you believe the US polls, the 5/1 about Tiger not playing a PGA Tour Event in 2010 looks a cracking bet. Personally, I wouldn't want to have a wager as there's simply no way of knowing what's going on in Tiger's world at the moment. He hasn't been seen since his car crash while only he and wife Elin will know whether they can save their marriage which will play a huge part in determining when he comes back. If she's given up on him, he'll want to get back out on the course. If he's still trying to patch things up, missing The Masters would show that he's prepared to make a huge sacrifice to save his marriage. This is just a guessing game but, if pressed, I would be surprised to see him miss Augusta and pass up perhaps the last great chance he'll have of pulling off The Grand Slam. With the next two majors at Pebble Beach and St Andrews (he's 3 for 3 in the majors he's played on those courses as a pro with a combined winning margin of 28 strokes!) a victory at Augusta would put him in great position.

Dave Tindall