Tiger Beats Crowds to Augusta

A day before his eagerly awaited press conference, Tiger Woods hit the links at Augusta National this afternoon. Sporting what appear to be the beginnings of a goatee, the scandal-plagued superstar unexpectedly arrived around 1pm and played nine holes with Mark O'Meara. "He's one of the toughest guys mentally I've ever met," said O'Meara, a close friend who won the tournament in 1998. "I think he'll do well this week." Practice rounds for the Masters, which begins Thursday, formally start tomorrow.

Woods will meet the media en masse for the first time since Thanksgiving tomorrow at 2pm. "In the last 10 or 12 years he has been the most scrutinized player who has ever played the game," O'Meara told the Augusta Chronicle. "With that comes a lot of responsibility and he dropped the ball there, a little bit. But he's trying to make good." Fellow pro Jim Furyk told the AP: "It's nice to have him back and I can't wait until he's out here and I don't have to answer any more questions about him."
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