STATEMENT FROM ARNOLD PALMER IN RESPONSE TO TIGER WOODS ANNOUNCEMENT THAT HE WILL RETURN TO COMPETITION AT THE MASTERS TOURNAMENT IN APRIL
“We are all disappointed that Tiger isn’t going to play our tournament at Bay Hill, but, all things considered, we certainly understand.“
“I talked to Tiger on the phone this morning and he expressed his regrets that he won’t be playing here. He said that he really didn’t feel his game was sharp enough to begin competition this early.“
“As for Tiger’s decision to play at the Masters without playing a tournament beforehand, that’s something only the player himself knows how to handle. Certainly he knows what he wants to do with his life and the way he is going to deal with it. We’re going to give him that respect.“
“We’re going to miss Tiger and we’re sorry he’s not going to be here, but we have a fantastic field – the No. 2 and 3 players in the world (Steve Stricker and Phil Mickelson) and Ernie Els, who just had that fine victory at Doral. We will have a great tournament, I’m sure.”