'Tiger Woods is still the man'-US press

| Monday April 12, 2010 00:00

Making his first competitive appearance since details of his extra-marital affairs emerged, Woods hit a four under-par 68, his best opening round score at Augusta.

'Turns out, he is what they say he is,' wrote Bill Plaschke in the LA Times. 'He is what they shout. He is what they crave. He is what they believe. No matter how much his sleazy behavior has betrayed everything he claimed to be, Tiger Woods is still The Man.' Woods's demeanour was being watched almost as closely as his shots, with several writers remarking that he seemed to be doing his best to keep a lid on his emotions. 'His full charm offensive - still in hyper mode, still somewhat phony - was active,' noted CBS Sports's Mike Freeman. 'He smiled more. He engaged the gallery possibly more than ever in his career. There wasn't a single hole where he cursed. Those were the ways he looked different.'

Reilly hailed Woods for keeping a lid on his emotions so successfully. 'That 68 is preposterous and historic and unthinkable when you put yourself in his shoes for one minute.

Imagine the emotional bloodshed he has gone through, albeit self-inflicted. He not only hadn't played a tournament the entire year, nor faced the public after five shameful months, but he was trying out a whole new serenity-now personality on the course.

'There were times when you could tell he wanted to bite a hole in his lower lip. On the sixth, he missed a makeable birdie putt, took his putter behind his neck and looked as if he was about to punish it harshly for misbehavior - Old Tiger Style - when he stopped himself. On 14, he hooked his second shot and, just for an instant, looked as if he might bury the thing deep enough to plant tulip bulbs, but checked himself and just gently dropped it behind him instead. On 18, he missed nearly a kick-in for birdie, screamed silently ... and came into the press building anyway.'

But Woods wasn't the only one under scrutiny. The crowd's reaction to his return was of at least as much interest as Woods's performance itself, and, for the most part, they seemed to be supportive. (Guardian)