Tiger's Tanned, Rested And A Resounding Maybe On Playing Masters

Maybe it's shaving the goatee or just his overall upbeat glow for someone who has been off the grid, but while appearing on Good Morning America and promoting his 1997 Masters book Tiger Woods looked well. The positive appearance only adds to the mystery surrounding his latest absence due to back spasms.

Yes, he looks older without his hat and signature form-fitting golf shirts. But it's hard not to watch all of this and wonder what genuinely plagues him that he's still not able to go to his office: the golf course. But for his fans Woods offered a glimmer of hope. Steve DiMeglio reports after getting an exclusive sitdown for USA Today.

“I do have a chance,” to play, Woods told USA TODAY Sports in an exclusive interview. “I’m trying everything I possibly can to get to that point. I’m working, I’m working on my game. I just need to get to a point where I feel like I’m good enough, and I’m healthy enough to do it."

In the good news/bad news department, Woods is attending the Champions Dinner but essentially has left open the possibility for no decision on his playing status until the last minute.

Yes, we've seen this movie before and no one wanted to see it a second time.

DiMeglio filed a separate piece on the 1997 Masters book written with Lorne Rubenstein. Reading about this kind of detail sounds great:

Woods, who hopes to play in next month's Masters, explains how he used a persimmon driver to hone his swing the week before the 1997 Masters and made use of Golf Channel’s video library to study Augusta National’s treacherous greens. He tees up his thoughts about the changes made to the course to combat technological advances in the game.

In NYC, Alex Myers talked to the fans who waited a long time in line to get the book signed at Barnes and Noble.

The GMA segment featured a putting contest that made for good TV:

WATCH: @TigerWoods defeats @michaelstrahan in a putting contest...and fires off his signature fist pump! pic.twitter.com/03YPWlQRr4

— Good Morning America (@GMA) March 20, 2017

Comments

[Pops]

Geoff, I'll pass on the "tanned" part of the headline. Call me naive, but Tiger really puzzles me. He can't play golf, can't attend any part of the API, can't be forthcoming about his physical condition, but can fly to NYC, promote a book and appear on GMA. Hope he didn't strain anything putting on the set. He was a great player. He is no longer. Please just say "goodbye" and go enjoy your kids and save your back.

[Don]

He's back!

[physio]

tiger looking nimble fluid flexible and noticeably fit in that video!

[D. maculata]

A tough sell never looks pretty. Neither does his game but lets put that aside for now. Any Shacklanders do this for a living and can answer my question as to how much of a hit a stars brand power takes when they retire? Golf is a niche market to begin with but it appears legend and longevity help. Top four on Forbes list of highest-paid retired athletes: Jordan, Palmer, Beckham, Nicklaus.

[JS]

While the hat would have been totally inappropriate, the five-head is a bad look...

[DavidC]

He did strike me as looking like he's had a vacation without a golf hat on and lost some weight in a good way, and he sure moved around well in the putting contest. But he can't swing a club? Strange times.

[Taffy]

I don't think Jack Nicklaus or Ben Hogan prepared for a major championship by going on GMA to promote a book.

[Bud]

I've noticed that Tiger has been tanned for a long time...

[Drew Scott]

I can't believe it but he seems to need money -- he'll chase it anywhere. He also seems a to have a pill problem. Those eyes are always bloodshot and yellowish at the same time -- can't be a good thing, can it?

[Bill Wilson]

Apparently there were more folks at the book signing than watching the Arnie tourney on TV.

Sports Media Watch:
"With several stars absent, overnights for the Arnold Palmer Invitational were the lowest in at least 19 years.
Final round coverage of the PGA Tour at Bay Hill scored a 1.5 overnight rating on NBC Sunday afternoon, down 32% from last year (2.2), down 29% from 2015 (2.1) and the lowest overnight for final round coverage of the tournament since at least 1998. The previous low over that span was a 1.6 in 2010."

[Jupiter]

I'm no Tiger fan but this isn't meant as a shot at him... I thought that he looked terrible in general; especially his face and eyes. There seems to be more to this story than Steiny and company are sharing. I know... I know that's hard to believe as they're normally open and honest with everything related to Tiger.

I honestly believe that all of the damage that he did to his body via over the top training and all of the things that he put into his body via unlicensed doctors has taken a toll on him that he will not be able to come back from. Really sad but I'd feel worse for him if he hadn't been such a jerk to everyone when he was on top.

[CW]

Mother Nature is in the process of hanging a 9&8 on Eldrick.

[Brandon]

@ CW +1

[Jupiter]

@CW... well said.

[Original AG]

Great, just when they told me 3 piece suits were out.

[Gutta Percha]

The ABC segment with Tiger and Strahan dueling in a putting contest was effective. Props. Even more props to Steiney and Woody for wringing more dollars out of a washed up Tour Pro with a bad back.

BTW, the Geoff website is running a lot faster. Is it now on better servers operated by USA Today Media?