Commissioner: TOUR will get advance notice of Tiger's return

text size

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Commissioner Tim Finchem said Monday that the PGA TOUR will get "reasonable notice" as to when Tiger Woods will return to competitive golf, but the specific date remains a mystery.

"I don't have the specific date when he's going to come back," the commissioner said Monday during the announcement that Farmers Insurance will continue as the title sponsor for the TOUR's event at Torrey Pines for the next four years. "I could only assume that all of the speculation about late March and early April, if he's going to start back then, we will know soon."

That speculation could end this week if Woods decides to play in next week's Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard. Players must commit by 5 p.m. ET on Friday, with the field list released soon after that.

There have also been reports that Woods may play in next week's Tavistock Cup on Monday and Tuesday. Meanwhile, The Associated Press reported last week that Woods is expected to make his first start of 2010 at the Masters next month.

If Woods comes back at a PGA TOUR-sponsored event, the commissioner said the TOUR would obviously face some logistics issues, especially from a media standpoint.

"I think the media accommodation is the big factor, and you know, how that happens depends week-to-week on which tournaments we are talking about," he said. "We saw a huge influx of media here (at the PGA TOUR headquarters) for Tiger's statement three for four weeks ago. We had to create an off-site accommodation for the number of media. And, you know, there's a possibility that in certain places we would have to do that, because we can only accommodate so much media.

"But it will be different. We will know in advance. We will get the word out."

Whether Woods decides to make his return known publicly through his own representatives or the TOUR, the commissioner said the TOUR will get enough notice to solve the increased media demands.

"We are going to have advance notice," he said, "and we are going to be, in my view, comfortable with the notice we have. We already have done contingency planning at a number of weeks of the TOUR. So we will be prepared, and as soon as he tells us, you'll know."