Why tiger will play in the Tavistock Cup

Eight days ago on the WGC-Cadillac Championship in Miami, Woods limped from the No. 12 tee box after his best drive for the day. He was whisked away in a golfcart to the players' car park, ducked into his Mercedes and was gone before completing Sunday's final round. A blimp-cam recorded it all just as if it were a freeway car chase.

Doctors later determined Woods' Achilles had a break down strain, nothing more. He took it simple for 5 days and later on announced he was fit to the Tavistock Cup.

He walked (no limp!) into the clubhouse at 9:24 a.m. ET Monday carrying his very own bag and holding his Tavistock uniform over a hanger. He wore shorts and a workout shirt, with his fantastic Titleist 910 D2 Driver was on backward.

With regards to a half-hour later, Woods was on the driving range hitting shots without sign of discomfort. He congratulated Tavistock team partner Justin Rose for Rose's win at Doral. He socialized with Charles Howell III. He gave a wry smile when Bubba Watson walked in front of him about the range.

The Golf Channel's David Feherty served as the master of ceremonies on the first tee. His introduction of Woods towards the 10-deep gallery got right to the stage.

"Many folks arrived here by helicopter," Feherty said. "He came here in an ambulance."

For the record, Tiger laughed. And then striped it down the middle of the fairway.

"Well," Feherty said after the tee shot, "nothing fell off him."

Woods and Rose finished a combined 9-under-par in the better-ball pairing with Watson and Howell. I counted six birdies as well as bogeys for Woods, who played solidly and occasionally spectacularly in the round.

Not once did him favor his left leg or extend his Achilles, while he did during that Sunday round at Doral. When facing sidehill, downhill or uphill lies, Woods had zero problems.

Afterward, just off the 18th green, he explained the limp-off at Doral was "the smart thing and prudent thing" and the man didn't need to risk any longer time on injured reserve.

"That's so what happened this past year, and I missed two major championships for doing this," Woods said. "So One of the better to Mizuno MP-69 Irons be ready for Augusta, hence I'm out here having a good time and all's going good.

"I need to do what's right. Unfortunately there are occassions when, yeah, I've played through things that I probably shouldn't have. That's require me to pay slightly. I have been previously sidelined for months during a period because of it. The first time, I did so the right thing. Hence, I'm back weekly, whereas ... I could have been out for the small bit longer."

Therefore the solutions to the questions of his being able to walk and play well are yes company -- although I still need little idea why he'd risk tweaking that Achilles just 16 days ahead of the discount golf clubs Masters begins. Or why he'd subject it to potentially seven consecutive times of play (Tavistock, the pro-am in the Arnold Palmer Invitational as well as the tournament itself).