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Tiger Woods made a surprise and brief public appearance in Connecticut on Tuesday at a PGA Tour press conference announcing a dramatic shakeup of America’s golf cicruit.
Woods, 50, has not spoken out publicly since his arrest for DUI near his Jupiter Island home in late March. Shortly after that dayt of drama, he headed to Switzerland for a stint in rehab to help him manage prescription painkillers.
But on Tuesday morning, it was back to the business of golf for Woods, who smiled broadly before introducing the PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp with a short statement. Rolapp was appearing to announce a bold expansion of the PGA Tour, moving it into a two-tier system from 2028.
When Rolapp took to the stage, he shook hands with Woods and said: ‘Thank you, Tiger. I think I speak for all of us when I say I am glad to see you back.’
Woods, who has worked hard behind the scenes in the last year to help shape the future of the PGA Tour, spoke for a little over a minute and did not take any questions, leaving the stage shortly after greeting Rolapp.
‘Good morning,’ Woods said with a big smile as stepped up to the podium to speak.
Tiger Woods made a surprise public appearance at a PGA Tour event on Tuesday morning
‘Everyone over the past eight months on the Future Competitions Comittee has spent a lot of time on a very important, fundamental question: How do we build the strongest possible version of the PGA Tour?
‘This work was never about any one player or person. It was about bringing together different perspectives, having honest, hard conversations and thinking boldly about what is best for the game that we all love.
‘It has been a privilege to work with all of the committee members. I am proud of the work we have done and grateful for everyone who has contributed along the way.’
He continued: ‘We have to look forward and beyond today, over the horizon and set up the PGA Tour, and our sport, for a future generation of players and fans. And with that, I’d like to introduce the CEO of the PGA Tour, Brian Rolapp.’
Woods’s time abroad to focus on recovery was briefly interrupted by his girlfriend Vanessa Trump being diagnosed with breast cancer. She is currently undergoing treatment.
Woods was closing in on a return to golf and was widely expected to compete at The Masters in the days before he was arrested.
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