Woods starts down road to recovery in press conference

It was a start down what has shown will be a rocky road ahead.

And that’s about all it was. Tiger Woods’ Feb. 20 press conference detailing his infidelity and continued indefinite absence from golf was the necessary start to a brutal healing process — one that won’t see a complete end anytime soon.

Tiger, who neglected to answer questions and only allowed select media into his speech a couple of weeks ago, hopefully realizes that from a public standpoint, this situation will only disappear on his terms.

Think of it this way: the No. 1 golfer in the world and quite possibly the most globally recognized athlete scandalized by sex, lies and subpar behavior on the course.
Enough said.

Was Tiger all in the right in how he went about this press conference and first public appearance? Absolutely not.

But it was still a start. The questions will come, and they will come until they are answered; not on his terms, but on the terms of the media and his fans. If there’s one thing Tiger will struggle with down this road, it will be answering to others after never having to abide by what others say or do. Just look at his recent behavior.

“I began to think I was entitled,” Tiger said. “I know people want to find out how I could be so selfish and so foolish. People want to know how I could have done this to my wife, Elin, and to my children. And while I have always tried to be a private person, I have some things to say.”

And so do we. Sorry, Tiger. There is no club-throwing, interview declining or one-legged major championship that will get you around this one.

Not only that, but these future, daunting encounters with the media should be the last thing he worries about. Now, it’s about saving his marriage and relationships with, most importantly, his family and those close to him.

And then comes golf and his laundry list — well, former laundry list — of sponsors. There’s no question Tiger will use this as motivation to break Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major wins, a record from which he is only five away.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Eldrick Woods over the last 14 years, it’s that he carries a chip on his shoulder. As for when he will be back on the golf course, we don’t know — there’s no way to. We are, after all, talking about one of the most private individuals in the history of fame and fortune.

“I do plan to return to golf someday and do not rule out it will be this year,” Woods said.

With another rehab session just underway, I have trouble betting it would be Augusta, although it seems like the perfect spot. Why not? Tiger not only loves it there, but he is loved there. The Masters has a special aurora and is accompanied by top-tier people. He wouldn’t be heckled, taunted or hounded in Georgia.

Yes, things could have been done better. But cut the malarkey. This was not an attempt to steal the spotlight from his former sponsor Accenture’s Match Play championship, which was concurrent to Tiger’s revelations. Woods could no longer afford to keep living in a hole, especially between his rehab sessions. The time for questions and answers will come.

But now, as human beings and not sports fans, let’s just hope he makes it down this road on par.