The Loop

Woods congratulates Phil in blog post

April 23, 2010

There was little about Tiger Woods' return to golf at the Masters that wasn't subject to ad nauseum debate. And perhaps no part of his week was more scrutinized than his Sunday interview with Peter Kostis that was conspicuously devoid of any acknowledgment of eventual champion Phil Mickelson.

Some two weeks later, Woods at least made efforts to correct that last part in the first P.S. (post-scandal) blog post on his website.

"Before I stop talking about the Masters, I want to congratulate Phil Mickelson on the win and for all it means to him, Amy and the entire Mickelson family. They have really gone through a lot this year, and I wish them good health from now on," Woods wrote.

Woods also took time to address some of the criticism he received at the Masters for his on-course behavior, telling readers that it's something he wants to continue to work on.

"It's tough when you're in a competitive environment and in the flow of a tournament," he wrote. "I'm not perfect. All I can say is I'm trying to do everything I can without losing my fire and competitive spirit."

The rest of Woods' blog was a quick rundown of his life the past weeks (minus, of course, any of the details that the tabloids are still clamoring for): it was good to be back competing even though he didn't play as well as he liked. He was grateful for the fan support, and he's going to try to commit to tournaments earlier to help them prepare for his arrival.

And oh yeah, he recently made a double eagle by holing a 5-wood in a practice round with John Cook.

"My game is improving," he said.

So he's got that going for him, which is nice.

*-- Sam Weinman *