Forgive me this trip back in yellow journalism, back to a time of WR Hearst and his ilk… what’s the deal with coverage of Tiger Woods? Has there been an unstated, unpublicized moratorium on dirt-digging? Have all his dalliances been discovered? Are there no more scandalous exploits to reveal?

Remember that, a la Wilt Chamberlain, folks were suggesting that Tiger’s list of conquests was longer than his listing in golf’s record books. Was this achievement overstated? Did he suddenly become yesterday’s news? I’m not complaining, as anything that takes away from the truth of golf, in my book, is a shame. Tabloid coverage has never been welcomed by anyone save those who have no other recognition (and by the tabloids themselves, of course.)

It’s nice, ultimately, to see Tiger Woods make a gentle reappearance in the professional game. Like most of us who seek acceptance and affirmation, he seemed to want to return too quickly, too early, too soon. He wanted to recapture his place in golf with speed, forgetting that golf is an 18-hole plod (on a good day) that admits only those with the patience and fortitude to stay the course. My guess is, Tiger is approaching the 7th hole on the journey toward re-establishing his place in the game.