I watched Tiger and tried to imagine myself in that situation, apologizing for flaws in front of the world. He’s not a guy who’s had to say he’s sorry for a very long time, I’m guessing, so I can overlook the awkward, scripted nature of it at times. And I thought the prolonged stares into the camera as he emphasized a couple points were a bit dramatic, as if it was the way he was coached. But it sounds like he wrote most of his statement and maybe that’s just how he thought he should do it. The hugging at the end was also awkward. It wasn’t as animated and real as I might have liked, but that really isn’t the Tiger we’ve come to expect, anyway.
There were tangents about Buddhism and the paparazzi hounding his family. Those seemed off-topic, but they also provided a glimpse into his very private life and mind-set we’ve seldom seen. Having been cooped up for a while, he had a few things to get off his chest and went down the list.
He was protective of his family, remorseful of his transgressions and respectful to his fans, staff, PGA and business partners. It was a first step. Was it a good one? That’s for debate because of the controlled nature. But we got what we wanted, a Tiger appearance. Now we’ll wait for the next step, and who knows what that will be.
Most telling was that he isn’t ruling out returning to golf this year, meaning he might not. That statement seemed pretty genuine, so the waiting game begins anew.
