After 41/2 months in the world's doghouse, which seemed altogether appropriate, Tiger Woods needed less than a week to regain his previously unchallenged status.
He is, once again, The Most Watchable Competitor on earth.
From his 35-minute news conference last Monday to his passive absorption of Billy Payne's sanctimonious admonishment to actual hitting of balls on the hallowed ground of this nation's most fabled course, Woods has made substantial progress toward refacing his tattered image.
Though Tiger's decision to return at this weekend's Masters was the subject of wide and furious debate, he and his advisers made a brilliant call.
They knew Tiger didn't have to win, that it might be best if he doesn't. It's barely relevant that the 2-under 70 he shot in the third round Saturday has him third on the leader board, for Tiger's people realized, this being a major tournament, their guy would be the heart of the story but not the whole story. For once, victory is, for them if not for Woods, completely secondary.
The first priority for Tiger, as he attempts to project a newfound humility, was to rejoin the human race.
That meant presenting himself before friends and strangers. For Tiger, there is no better backdrop than Augusta National, where 13 years ago, at age 21, he introduced his radiant greatness by conquering the course and vaporizing the field to win by an astounding — and unprecedented
Tiger has captured three more forest green jackets symbolic of winning the Masters. He doesn't own the course, but he plays it as if it were his backyard. He plays Augusta National better than anyone ever has, including Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer.
So the week was about shepherding a man from the most shamefully uncomfortable position he has known to one of the most comfortable places he has ever been. Tiger squirmed while owning up to the one-car crash, squirmed as mistress after mistress after mistress cashed out by pulling back the covers of their trysts, squirmed as sponsors fled, squirmed his way through a wooden attempt at apologizing.
He's squirming even now as his wife, Elin, contemplates the future for her and their two children.
With all this squirming, Woods needed a place not only where the ground beneath his feet was firm but also felt familiar.
Though some members of the media continue to beat him up and some fans have ditched Tiger, the gallery has been mostly supportive. This tends to be the human response to epic disaster moving into the cleanup stage.
How long, after all, are folks going to cling to hatred and disgust? The philandering celebrity is an old tale, all too common from music to movies to athletics and politics. Tiger's disrespect for his family is a private matter that ranks much lower on the disturbance scale than, say, threats to politicians or the pedophilia controversy raging within the priesthood.
That Tiger is not being showered with love from everyone is to be expected. That's always been the case. There are hundreds of high-profile athletes, and none is universally beloved. Not Peyton Manning or Brett Favre, not LeBron James or Dirk Nowitzki, not Derek Jeter or Albert Pujols. Not even Manny Pacquiao.
So, yes, there have been cheers for Tiger. Thank goodness Elin is not on the premises, with every shot of her in the gallery reminding one and all of her husband's sin. She doesn't need the aggravation.
Let the focus be on Tiger. Let him face what he has done, who he has been and whatever response he gets from the public. Let him walk alone through these flames.
Yet we should not be surprised he has been so competitive. He is the very best golfer in the world and an unsurpassed competitor. The very best — the Muhammad Alis and Michael Jordans and Kobe Bryants — respond to adversity with incredible focus. They have a narrow, coldhearted approach, like a shark chasing its prey.
So Woods is back within the vicinity of our adulation, if not admiration. That he has lost a sizable portion of women matters little, for golf has a history of being utterly dismissive toward females.
Tiger's comeback has advanced from the embryonic to the crawling stage. If he goes out today and loses in memorable fashion, especially to Phil Mickelson, Woods will be on his feet.
From there, the top of the world is but a long walk and a few wise decisions away.
