Editor Faceoff

Anthony Dorunda- Time and space are needed for Tiger to lick his wounds

Alright, he's apologized, it is now time to begin the countdown to Tiger's return to golf. After  leaving us without a return date, it is quite possible that golf's biggest star will not be in attendance when golf's Superbowl, the Master's, gets under way in April.

So now the question is, should Tiger come back? The answer? No, not right now.

The best thing he can do is stay away from the limelight for a while and tie up the loose ends in his personal life. That's what's most important in the very end. Golf is just a game – a hobby that will be waiting for him when he decides to return. His life outside of golf is what matters when it all boils down.

He has to focus on number one--himself--and organize the most important part of his life--his family.

I completely agree, as does the rest of the world, that golf needs Tiger. But when they say golf needs Tiger, it's not the actual game that needs Woods, it the businessmen and power brokers behind the scenes that need Woods. The figureheads talking are discussing golf monetarily; they're talking about the Benjamin's.

With Tiger playing in a tournament, the following is incredible; without him, sometimes we forget that golf is still being played. Just look at the numbers.

According to Nielsen Company, an estimated average of 4.6 million viewers tuned in to tournaments played by Tiger in 2007-08. When he had knee surgery after winning the 2008 U.S. Open and missed the rest of the season, ratings sunk as much as 50 percent.

Neal Pilson, president of Pilson Communications, a media consulting firm, and a former president of CBS Sports said that "if Tiger's in an event, you expect a 50 percent increase in ratings."

For the 15 or so tournaments where Woods might have been expected to play this year, Larry Novenstern, executive vice president of Optimedia, estimated the resulting advertising loss to networks would total between $10 million and $20 million.

But look at it this way. Tiger has only been on the PGA tour since 1997; they survived before Tiger didn't they? And one day they will have to do it again, so consider this a round robin tournament in which they get to figure out what they have to do to keep people interested, while maintaining ratings and public interest.

It also gives other golfers a chance to step up and prove their worth without the enormous shadow cast by Tiger.

Am I saying Tiger should never come back? No way, Jose.  That's like saying I shouldn't have turkey and pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. I'm just saying he needs to take a break to get everything else in his life sorted out and to take some time off from the sport that demands perfection from him every time he hits the fairway. He needs to re-charge his batteries, and come out when he has a renewed vigor, and a hunger to get back to the sport he loves--and the sport that loves him.

Daniel Kautz- Tiger needs to stop hiding in the Woods