Tiger's image in deep rough

Tiger Woods can come back as a golfer, no question. As a pitchman, though? Forget it.

As one of the more exclusive playpens of corporate America's elite, Woods couldn't have picked a more fitting place than Augusta National to return to deal making. This is a business story, after all. For Woods, reclaiming sponsors that have fled in the wake of a sex scandal is a big part of what his Masters is about, a signal that it's business perhaps not as usual, but the shop is open again.

The big question is where Tiger Inc. goes from there. His fall has been swift and mythic, with sponsors AT&T, Accenture and Gatorade having pulled out of a Woods empire worth over $100 million (U.S.) a year – Nike, EA Sports and Tag Heuer have remained, while Gillette has closeted him in effect while expressing support. Now comes this offensive – and if only it was all about golf.

"I don't think we've ever seen anyone with quite this degree of decline and fall, with a recoverable position," said Alan Middleton, professor of marketing at York University's Schulich School of Business. "He'll never have the attraction to sponsors that he had before – he'll be automatically ruled out because of moral code issues, particularly in the U.S."

Woods' approval rating has taken a huge hit, showing "extremely significant declines" in public appeal since last month's press conference statement, according to Long Island-based Q Scores Company, which tracks public figures' trust, reliability and popularity. Woods was No.1 among pro athletes as recently as September of last year, but dropped an astounding 160 per cent in Q Scores' winter update. Not since Kobe Bryant six years ago, in the middle of his own sex scandal, has an athlete experienced such a negative hit. Bryant, despite winning championships since, has never returned to those lofty heights when he was just behind Woods in the public reckoning.

"One advantage Tiger has over most athletes like Kobe Bryant is that he's returning to a sport where he has more opportunities to win championships," said Henry Schafer, executive vice-president of Q Scores Co. "If he can get back to his winning ways, it will help him."

"It's got to be remarkable," said Middleton. "If he's just with the Phil Mickelsons in terms of performance, and not dominating, there'll be a bit of weakening in his negotiating position for contracts, but also he'll be a bit out of sight, out of mind with the media."

At least for the Masters reappearance, interest should be at an unprecedented high. The market for Masters "badges," as the tickets are termed, is among the tightest in sports. A couple of thousand come available via scalpers each year, according to estimates. At the Stubhub ticket exchange website on Wednesday, a badge for the opening round was priced at $641 (all figures U.S.) and full four-day entry at roughly four times that. Face value for a four-day badges is $200, but the waitlist is closed to get in line for those prizes.

Record TV ratings are expected as well, with Woods' 1997 victory at Augusta National as a 21-year-old the benchmark in the U.S. According to BBM Canada, the final round of the 2005 Masters – Woods, in a playoff, winning his fourth and most recent green jacket triumph – just edges out Mike Weir's playoff loss to Vijay Singh at the 2004 Canadian Open in terms of golf's largest viewership here at home.

But with new technology tracking those ratings this year and sports ratings up overall as a result, observers are predicting a record Masters TV audience here – especially if Woods remains in contention through to Sunday's final day. Bettors think that will be the case, Woods dropping to 3-to-1 favourite in some books just a day after he announced his Masters date.

"From a marketing point of view it'll be interesting to see if endorsers want to bring him back if he does well there," said Schafer. "I would be surprised. There's an awful lot of concerns among consumers. He's got a tough row to hoe."

Middleton notes that among his students, the younger undergrads in their 20s are much more inclined to shrug their shoulders at Woods' fall. But that doesn't cut across age groups, he says.

"In the broadest terms it's a story about truth, trust and transparency," said Middleton. "Tiger looked like he had all three, but then it turns out he didn't. For the generations that grew up with him and had a stake in that, they're not so forgiving."