Give Woods time to work through issues

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Tiger Woods has announced he will take an indefinite break from golf.

For the second time within a two-year span, the world of golf will be without its best player for an extended period. The first instance, in the summer of 2008, Tiger Woods needed time off to heal physically from reconstructive surgery on his left knee. This time, he and his family will seek to heal the emotional wounds caused by the revelations of the last two weeks.

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Unlike a knee rehab, there is no general timetable for this kind of healing. No range of flexibility to show progress. No previous studies to be used as a measuring stick. While we weren't exactly sure when Tiger would return from knee surgery, we pretty much figured it would be in the run-up prior to the 2009 Masters. And it was.

This time? Who knows. In announcing his "indefinite break" from golf, Tiger obviously wanted to leave it open-ended as to when we will next see him on the PGA TOUR. He understands that he won't be able to accelerate this process with more gym or range work. Matters of the heart tend to operate at their own pace.

Speculation on his return, of course, will run the gamut of time frames. Some will suggest he'll be back for the Masters next April. Others may point to June's U.S. Open, which will return to Pebble Beach, site of Tiger's 15-stroke win in 2000. Maybe he's back later in the year. Or maybe he sits the whole year.

No matter what, it's just a huge guessing game, one that's not fair to Tiger or his family. Yes, we want him back as soon as possible. All golf fans do. The game is better off when he's in the mix, pumping his fist after a long birdie putt or launching an approach shot at crunch time to within five feet. A Tiger roar is unlike any other roar that reverberates through a gallery.

We want that Tiger roar.

But we should also want Tiger back on his terms, not ours. We need Tiger entirely focused on winning golf tournaments, doing what he does best, producing a level of excitement rarely matched by any athlete. If Tiger can't offer that, then it makes sense for him to take a leave of absence.

Of course, the prevailing theory for many sports stars dealing with off-the-field issues is that the part of their lives they refuse to give up while in crisis mode is the one involving competition.

Inside the stadium or the arena or the ballpark, they feel at ease, back in their element, able to forget the prying eyes, the nasty headlines, and the constant turmoil for a few hours in order to focus on the task that has brought them their fame. It's a welcomed relief, a chance to hide (figuratively, not literally, of course) and play.

Tiger, however, is taking a different tact. Instead of hiding from his troubles for a few hours each day at a TOUR event, he will shift that incredible focus -- the one that has made him arguably the most recognizable athlete on the planet -- toward his family in hopes of "repairing the damage" he has caused. Admittedly, he doesn't even know if he will succeed. But he has to try.

And he has to try away from the prying eyes of a tabloid media, late-night talk show hosts and a voyeuristic public that seems to delight in tearing apart his previously unsullied image.

The world has given Tiger plenty of grief the past two weeks. Now let's give him time to heal, to work on his family issues. Let's give him the opportunity to return his life to some type of normalcy.

Part of the PGA TOUR's statement in support of Tiger's announcement noted that his "priorities are where they need to be." Let's put our own priorities where they need to be and allow him a chance to work through his own issues -- and at his own pace. And wish him and his family good luck in the process.

Mike McAllister is the Managing Editor for PGATOUR.COM. This article is not an official position of the PGA TOUR or the Commissioner. Click here for the TOUR's official position.