Tiger Woods thinks he has a good shot of winning the upcoming Masters Tournament, his longtime caddie said Tuesday.
"Tiger doesn't play in golf tournaments unless he believes he can win," Steve Williams told the Times of London. "Tiger's key strength, as we all know, is his mental strength and he is going to need it all through this period."
Woods is returning to pro golf April 8 still dogged by a sex scandal that nearly scuttled his marriage and derailed his career.
He is unlikely to face much heckling about his hijinks from the rabble because the organizers at Augusta National "are very specific with who they let in," Williams said.
"The people that are going to watch at Augusta are called patrons there, not spectators," he said.
"They are all golf fans and it is a very difficult tournament to get into. It is the only golf tournament in the world there is waiting list to get in to."
Those golf enthusiasts "will be very happy to see Tiger playing at Augusta where he's been successful," said Williams.
Woods has won four green jackets at Augusta.
Before Woods hits the links, the notoriously press-shy golfer will face reporters on Monday.
"By granting those media interviews and taking those questions about the Masters indicates to me that he really is getting ready and feels like he is going to be able to compete," Williams said.
It remains to be seen how forthcoming Woods will be.
So far, Woods has given only a couple tightly-controlled interviews since the scandal erupted on Nov. 27. He apologized for - but gave few details about - catting around behind wife Elin Nordegren's back with a parade of party girls and porn stars.
Woods has not competed in a tournament since November and took a hiatus from golf while he tried to patch-up his marriage and underwent sex addiction therapy
"Tiger doesn't play in golf tournaments unless he believes he can win," Steve Williams told the Times of London. "Tiger's key strength, as we all know, is his mental strength and he is going to need it all through this period."
Woods is returning to pro golf April 8 still dogged by a sex scandal that nearly scuttled his marriage and derailed his career.
He is unlikely to face much heckling about his hijinks from the rabble because the organizers at Augusta National "are very specific with who they let in," Williams said.
"The people that are going to watch at Augusta are called patrons there, not spectators," he said.
"They are all golf fans and it is a very difficult tournament to get into. It is the only golf tournament in the world there is waiting list to get in to."
Those golf enthusiasts "will be very happy to see Tiger playing at Augusta where he's been successful," said Williams.
Woods has won four green jackets at Augusta.
Before Woods hits the links, the notoriously press-shy golfer will face reporters on Monday.
"By granting those media interviews and taking those questions about the Masters indicates to me that he really is getting ready and feels like he is going to be able to compete," Williams said.
It remains to be seen how forthcoming Woods will be.
So far, Woods has given only a couple tightly-controlled interviews since the scandal erupted on Nov. 27. He apologized for - but gave few details about - catting around behind wife Elin Nordegren's back with a parade of party girls and porn stars.
Woods has not competed in a tournament since November and took a hiatus from golf while he tried to patch-up his marriage and underwent sex addiction therapy