PACIFIC PALISADES &ndash Tiger Woods returned to the PGA Tour this week, in absentia.
He’s not here competing in the Northern Trust Open, but he certainly has been a popular topic of conversation at Riviera Country Club since announcing Thursday he’s launching his comeback this week in the Match Play Championship outside Tucson, Ariz. The announcement, the obligatory reaction on tour, and a media conference call with “Eldrick the Great” also dominated coverage on The Golf Channel on Thursday and Friday, the first two days the network had exclusive coverage of the Northern Trust Open. We know that wasn’t good for the tournament, but was it good for golf “But again, it focuses the attention on the game of golf. And he (Woods) has not only brought a lot of attention to our sport and to our game, but he’s helped raise the purses here dramatically on tour. I think we owe him a lot as a player. I’ve thanked him a number of times, I really have. “So I don’t see how it (his return) is a bad thing unless you have such a big ego that he took the limelight away from you or something. But I just think it’s all positive.” Was Stricker alluding to anyone in particular No way to know.
One brave soul asked Mickelson after Friday’s round about Woods’ trumpeted return.