I haven’t quite been able to stay afloat in the deep end of emotions associated with Tiger’s protracted absence, and now his highly publicized return for the Masters. Most of the Tiger talk (and no, I’m not talking about the new iPhone application marketed for unfaithful spouses) is centered around the degree of sincerity in his three most recent public statements, interviews, and news conferences. Staying true to what one might expect, my mom, along with most of the other women I’ve talked to, continues to think he’s a dirtbag. For her and many others, he’s just a Tiger who can never change his stripes. Recently, some sports writers, particularly Rick Reilly, have forgone their previous Tiger-bashing ways in favor of columns and broadcasts more amenable to the idea that Tiger could actually be a totally different caliber of person. This phenomenon comes off as rather interesting to me in light of Reilly’s relentless drive to knock heroic figures in sports down a few notches (see his pre-accident about Tiger’s lack of respect for the game, his article after Michael Jordan’s dubious Hall of Fame acceptance speech, his Bob Huggins article, and many others). All of the sudden, Tiger goes to 45 days of undisclosed rehabilitation and does a few press conferences and his biggest critics are waving the white flag, ready to embrace Tiger for the heroic figure they all hoped he would one day become.

For me though, all of this Tiger talk is meaningless. Heeding the advice of my grandfather, an avid golf fan, I’m just going to “shut up about what the guy did in his personal life unless [I’m] talking about how it relates to his golf game.” (Although I must say, if I hear him repeat the canned phrases “stripping away layers of denial” or “rationalizations” again, I might cry). In his news conference on Monday, Tiger repeated his earlier pledge to be more respectful of the game and try to control both his negative and positive outbursts. The softer, calmer man and golfer that Tiger has been trying to posit himself as in order to resuscitate his public image has prompted a litany of questions about how these personality changes will affect his game. Does Tiger have to be a sub-par person to keep his scores sub-par? Can he separate the insatiable drive for success on the course from an insatiable desire for invincibility in his private life? Can he maintain the same level of competitive success without his trademark fist pump?

Well, to answer some of these questions. I definitely think Tiger can exceed par off the course while staying well below par on the course. Reilly has pointed out that some of the biggest sports stars ever, like Michael Jordan, Ben Hogan, and Barry Bonds, were not exactly the greatest guys, but there are plenty of examples to the contrary. As far as I know, Lebron James, Phil Mickelson, Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, Derek Jeter, and plenty of other incredibly talented athletes are great role models. However, all of these players certainly aren’t exactly the faces of stoicism that Tiger has pledged to become on the course. In my mind, there is definitely a case to be made that playing the game passionately, whatever game that may be, and not being afraid to express emotion, whether it be frustration or bliss, during competition is essential for some to succeed.

Although Tiger’s attempts to tone down his outbursts were somewhat evident today, the intense competitor inside of him slowly regained control as he wetted his appetite for eagles in the first round at Augusta. He gave a few subtle fist pumps when he made putts that were increasingly more exaggerated as the round progressed; he even slammed his club into the ground after a disappointing approach shot that landed at the base of a tree in the middle of the gallery on one hole. It looks Tiger’s back to “going about his business” on the course, but only time will tell whether his personality changes are genuine. All I know is that my pre-Masters opinion that Tiger will be putting on his fifth green jacket in a few days has only been reinforced by his somewhat shaky, but still best-ever performance on Day 1. Even though he showed some signs of rust on and around the greens, he also had strokes of brilliance and his uncanny ability to make incredible recovery shots like his snap hook on the ninth hole, which ranks as one of the best golf shots I’ve ever seen. Stay tuned…you won’t be disappointed.

P.S. I can’t wait to see how this Nike ad series featuring the voice of Earl Woods develops. It’s a brilliant move by Nike’s marketing executives to seize the opportunity provided by the captivating effect Tiger’s return has had on the world. It might even be better than the MVP puppets!