Reports that the world no1 is receiving treatment at an addiction clinic cast doubt on his participation at Augusta
A New York Times magazine writer, Benoit Denizet-Lewis, adds his voice – and his contacts – to the reports that Tiger Woods is currently being treated at the Pine Grove addiction clinic in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. But, as a former client at Pine Grove (apparently they don’t like to use the term “patient) Denizet-Lewis also adds a fair amount of detail about the kind of treatment Woods will be receiving.
It is an eye-popping account of life inside Pine Grove but, with this being a golf blog, we’ll try and stick to the detail that is most pertinent to Woods’ golf career, which is that, if Denizet-Lewis is correct, Woods will be at the clinic for six weeks in total.
It is believed Woods traveled to Mississippi last week, which would mean he would be at Pine Grove until the end of February. That would give him roughly five weeks to get ready for the Masters, which starts on April 8. Is that enough time?
Anything is possible with Woods (I think we’ve learned that by now) but, assuming he won’t hit a golf ball while he’s down in Mississippi it is hard to see how he could possibly be ready for Augusta. Or at least ready to win.
For one thing, he would probably have to spend a couple of weeks with Hank Haney trying to get his swing back in order. It also takes time to set up, and prepare for, the big sit-down with Oprah Winfrey. He would also have to play in at least one, if not two, events (a) to try and get some semblance of competitive edge to his game and, more importantly, (b) deal with the media furore that will accompany his return to public life.
I say “more importantly” because I find it impossible to believe that a new, improved “humbler” Woods would allow his private drama to overshadow the Masters. More to the point, Augusta’s gentlemen members would not appreciate having their beloved club turned into a media zoo. Suffice to say, they would rather let in a woman member than a hack from TMZ. I am sure they would let Woods and his people know how much they would love to have him come and play – as long as it wasn’t his first event.
So will he be at Masters? On balance, I think the answer is no, though I could be wrong (I always am).
In which case, when will we see him? The honest answer is no-one knows, and certainly not me. But I get the sense that the longer he stays away from the game, the greater the chance he might take the entire year off. Yet just as I happen to believe he won’t be back in time for Augusta, I also find it hard to believe he won’t be back for the US Open at Pebble Beach and, following that, the Open Championship at the Old Course.
Both represent a gilt-edged opportunity to edge closer to Nicklaus’ record. If he chooses to skip them I think we can safely say that the Tiger Woods who eventually comes back to golf will be a different man from the Tiger Woods who left it behind.