Don't rule him out

By Mark Garrod, Press Association Sport Golf Correspondent Last updated: 16th March 2010

Anybody totally dismissing the idea of Tiger Woods winning the Masters after what will be nearly five months out of golf ought to remember he won his last major on one good leg.

The world number one's career has been full of amazing deeds - including, of course, his 12-shot win at Augusta in the first major he played as a professional back in 1997.

But to make him a red-hot favourite is stretching things a bit given that he will not have had any competitive warm-up and given how shattered he looked mentally delivering that statement four weeks ago.

At least, though, the story is finally and mercifully moving on to the next fascinating stage.

Maybe at the Masters, but much more likely at his following few events, Woods will face the wrath of many fans for behaviour that shocked the world and turned him from role model into a tarnished figure.

Because of that there has to be a question mark over how he performs on his return and whether he will ever be as dominant again.

But how he behaves ought to be a given. Cutting out the swearing and the club-throwing should become as important to him as honing his swing, although it might be asking too much to expect him to stop spitting as well and spending as long as Phil Mickelson does on signing autographs.

He and his team have been criticised widely for the way they handled the scandal, but once back inside the ropes Woods will be on familiar territory.

Over the past 13 years he has done a better job than anybody else of getting himself in the mindset where all that matters is his next shot.

For all that has happened, expect that to be the case again very quickly - and for him to be unwilling to discuss anything with the media other than his game.

His image may be beyond repair but he can still be remembered eventually as the world's greatest-ever golfer.

He is still only 34 and time is on his side. Tom Watson, after all, nearly won the Open at 59.

Mark Garrod, Press Association Sport Golf Correspondent