Do you miss Tiger?

Update: We will finally hear from Mr. Woods. According to the AP, Woods will be holding a press conference on Friday at 11:00 AM.
It's not a rhetorical question. It's an honest one.

Many tightly associated with the world of golf would say "yes".

I am in the minority here. I really don't. His absence is a calling card for others to step up and win a trophy or two. Dustin Johnson is an excellent example. He stepped up and defended his title at Pebble Beach this past weekend.

But I have other reasons why I'm not missing the world's #1 player.

Through all of his ordeal, we're constantly hearing that Tiger is a private person. That's the squeeze here. He's so private that we've never really seen or met him. He rarely, if ever, interacts with the gallery. Sure, he'll talk to the guy holding the mic after he's played a round so he can self-diagnose his performance. The only other time anybody should view Tiger as being somewhat "chatty" is during a press conference.

He's a machine on many levels. Until that fateful evening last November, he was a money machine. He was a walking endorsement. He was a golfing machine. He was a business. Nike and EA are still in his corner despite the obvious lag in his popularity. Why? He makes all of them bucks...still.

I do get it. In sports there's something called self-promotion, and to Tiger's credit, he almost refuses to go overboard. Athletes have to find other avenues for income. There's nothing wrong with that. Commercialization and advertising go along way to create a different persona, and Woods is the king of that. Or at least, he was.

The one area that has come under fire the most is Tiger's antics on the course. We've all seen the slamming and throwing of clubs. We've heard the expletives deleted from his tirades. His body language is a map into his soul. He's not alone in lacking with his course etiquette, but with his exposure, you would think he could conduct himself a little better.

While it may sound like I'm bashing Tiger, I'm not. I would just like to see other golfers get half of the attention he does. The field is still obviously slanted in his direction. For the last two weeks we've been hearing of his return. One rumor was at Pebble. One was at this week's WGC Match Play. Both were unfounded and untrue. Now, the rumblings of Augusta and The Masters being the week.

Seriously, why all the fuss over someone we've not heard a thing from in over two and a half months?

It's a given that Tiger, as always, will do things only on his terms. There are no other terms to consider.