'Cowardly' Woods has made right choice says Alliss

PETER ALLISS believes Tiger Woods has made the correct decision by choosing to relaunch his career at Augusta next month.

The world No 1 has not played since media revelations about his private life but announced last week he will be making his return at the Masters.

Woods has admitted he is a little nervous about the reaction he will receive from the galleries but Alliss, the legendary BBC commentator, feels the safe haven of the exclusive Georgia country club will provide the perfect setting for his return.

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"He couldn't return to a better venue, because it's a very controlled atmosphere," said Alliss, 79.

"He's sensible Woods, but almost cowardly, if that's not too strong a word, because he's not going to face the might, the wrath of the people.

"There'll still be people who'll be carried away and will shout silly things. It'll be interesting to see how many will be escorted off the course, maybe as many as 20, 30 people, but out of a gallery of 30,000 that's not a great many.

"He's got to come onto the first tee with a little half smile on his face and offer the gallery just little gestures, something that the grandstand will be appreciative of.

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"He's picked the right place but it'll be a huge test of his strength of character and if he finishes 10th to 15th he will have done remarkably well."

Alliss has been around golf long enough to know that the game is bigger than any one man and believes the whole affair has been blown out of proportion.

"There's been a cloak of tawdriness thrown over the whole of golf, made by the press," said Alliss, who won 23 titles and played in eight Ryder Cups.

"He's misbehaved out of wedlock, he's not murdered anybody. Get the Masters out of the way, let him play and let him get back in, or he'll forget it and retire.

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"Personally I don't care what he does but it's a privilege watching him play. He's wonderful, but he's been stupid."

Alliss was speaking at Oulton Hall at the launch of the De Vere Club, a recruitment enterprise offering membership to all 11 De Vere venues in Britain for just 295.

"It's a very attractive package and I think it could encourage a whole new tranche of people into golf," he said.

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