Tiger Woods is winning – Is it OK to root for him again?

Tiger Woods is back to winning, but are you over his scandal? (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Tiger Woods is back to winning, and back to being the British bookies’ favorite to win the Masters. So does that mean it’s OK to root for him again?

97.3 KIRO FM’s Bill Swartz said favor for the famous golfer is not guaranteed in his house.

“My wife is just – go in the water, go out of bounds, miss it, miss it, miss it,” said Swartz. “She cannot stand Tiger Woods because of the human being he is, not because of the golfer.”

The 14-time major champion won his first PGA Tour tournament since 2009 on Sunday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.

It was his first chance to revel in a tour victory since his personal life went into turmoil following a sex scandal that ended his marriage and precipitated a steady decline in his game and his stature as the man to beat on the course.

But now that his game has changed, will the minds of former fans change as well?

“There are some that just cannot get the wherewithal to root for him anymore and they did so in the past,” said Swartz. “I think he’s still a very polarizing figure.”

In a discussion on 97.3 KIRO FM’s Ross and Burbank Show, host Luke Burbank said he thinks many men in Wood’s position would have been tempted to stray.

“I don’t hold this against him,” said Burbank. “Tiger Woods to my mind anyway never said, ‘Hey everyone please start basing your life on me.’ He’s just a guy who’s been really good at golf.”

Burbank also pointed out it’s not like Woods went unpunished.

“He has been publicly shamed. The guy has paid a lot monetarily, in terms of his golf success, in terms of people’s perception of him. I think he’s paid his debt.”

This year’s Masters will be the first major in which Woods is listed as the favorite since the same tournament in 2010, shortly after his public downfall.

“His whole game looks right now. He’s putting well. He’s chipping well. He’s driving well,” said Rupert Adams, a spokesman for British bookmaker William Hill. “The armor looks to be back in place again, and actually possibly the aura. Once again he’s got the swagger back in his step.”

Will you be rooting for Tiger Woods at the Masters?

By JAMIE GRISWOLD, MyNorthwest.com Editor