Six reasons why the Masters makes sense for Tiger

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All eyes at Augusta National will be on Tiger Woods when he makes his 2010 debut next month at the Masters.

Why is Tiger Woods making his return to the PGA TOUR at the Masters next month? Here are six reasons why it makes sense:

NEWS: Tiger Woods will make his 2010 season debut at the Masters in April. Click for story HELEN ROSS: Woods' news welcomed by peers at Innisbrook Click for story REACTION: Check out the reaction among those in the golfing community. Click for story PHOTOS: Classic photos of Tiger Woods at Augusta National Click for gallery COMMISSIONER: PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem's statement about Tiger's return. Click for statement SIX REASONS WHY: Here are six reasons why it makes sense for Tiger to make his 2010 debut at Augusta National. Click for story VICTORY ROOM: Will Tiger add a fifth Masters to his Victory Room? We've got complete coverage of every Tiger win. Click for Victory Room PGA TOUR TODAY: Casey Black details the recent events surrounding Woods and previews his highly anticipated return. Click for video FAN REACTION: Check out what golf fans are saying through Twitter and Facebook. Join the discussion on Twitter or Facebook. Click for story MARKETING: What does Tiger's return mean for the sponsors that stuck by him? Click for story

1. CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT -- From the media impact to the size of the galleries, the Masters can make Augusta National a very hospitable place for Woods. Media credentials, in fact, were just recently sent out, and non-traditional golf media may get shut out. And, of course, tickets to the tournament are among the toughest to acquire for any sporting event, with badges passed down from generation to generation. "Augusta is one place in the world that you can really have control, and they will control everything from the crowds to the situation that will be facing Tiger," Arnold Palmer said. "I think that if there is a place in the world that you can do that and do it properly, Augusta will do that."

2. SPEAKING OF THE CROWDS -- You can bet they will be on the best behavior ... as they always are at Augusta National. Genteel behavior and proper decorum are part of the unique aspect of Masters patrons. As Bobby Jones wrote in 1967: "Most distressing to those who love the game of golf is the applauding or cheering of misplays or misfortunes of a player. Such occurrences have been rare at the Masters but we must eliminate them entirely if our patrons are to continue to merit their reputation as the most knowledgeable and considerate in the world." Mr. Jones probably didn't envision a scenario such as this, but you can expect Masters officials to encourage their patrons to continue adhering to the message.

3. FAMILIAR COURSE -- Many people assumed that Woods needed a tune-up event before teeing it up at a major. But if Woods is going to go into any major "cold," it would be the Masters, which he has won four times, the last time in 2005. He knows all the nooks and crannies of Augusta National, knows how to play each hole. His game might be rusty (or it may not -- see below), but his knowledge of the course won't be.

4. EXTRA PREP TIME -- When Woods called Palmer to tell him that he wouldn't be defending his title at Bay Hill next week, he mentioned that his game was not "up to speed to play this early." By giving himself a few more weeks on the range, Woods will be able to hone his game into the kind of competitive state he'll need as he chases the 15th major of his career.

5. COMPETING STORYLINE -- Tiger's return obviously is a huge story. On other weeks, it would likely overshadow everything else. But at Augusta National, the Tiger storyline will be competing with the competition storyline that results from the season's first major. Whether it actually happens or not, the Masters at least offers the potential for Tiger's comeback to be just "a story" instead of "the story."

6. POTENTIAL STORYBOOK FINISH -- What's the best way for Tiger to encourage his fans and sponsors to move past the off-course developments of the previous four months and shift their focus to what's happening on the course? Win a tournament, of course. And what's the best way to generate the fastest and biggest shift? Win a major, of course. Should Tiger emerge victorious on April 11 at Augusta National, he'd get a huge booster shot in terms of moving on with his life -- and the water cooler talk once again will be about Tiger's golf game.