Tiger and the Masters - Who needs who more?

Now that Tiger Woods has bared his soul and returned from sex, drug, alcohol, and family rehab (depends on what magazine you read) it's time for him to get back in shape and get back to what he does best - golf.  Looking at the current tour schedule Tiger has the possibility to get himself back in tournament shape in time for possibly three tournaments prior to the Masters.

The PGA Tour Schedule shows us that Tiger could possibly play in:

• Tavistock Cup at Islesworth CC in Windmere, Florida - a tournament that Tiger has played in the last 5 years and who's website shows his picture on it's home page.  Tiger has recently been quoted in the AP that he is returning home to focus on "golf and fitness" in what people believe is an attempt to play in the Tavistock Cup.
• Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club in Orlando, Florida - a tournament that Tiger has won 6 times included the last two years in a row, an impressive feet only topped by his own 4 straight from 2000-2003.  Tiger clearly loves playing at Bay Hill and would likely not miss it if he does come back before the Masters.
• Shell Houston Open at Redstone GC Tournament Course in Humble, Texas - a tournament that Tiger has never played in.  If he were to miss one of the previous two or if he felt he needed an additional tune up this would be a potential tournament for Tiger as a final warm up for the Masters

The Masters Tournament is a Major and, for those familiar with golf history and Tiger Woods, you alreadyknow that is a big deal for Tiger as one of his personal goals from the beginning of his career was to eclipse Jack Nicklaus' career record of 18 Major Championships.  Now the question I posed was "Who needs who more?"  Lets take a look.

Tiger needs the Masters:

• His life is in shambles from the affairs that he had.  His personal life is all anyone appears to be focusing on.  A return to golf would remove some of the attention from his personal life and put it back towards his golfing abilities and his run towards history. (See Kobe Bryant's return to glory after sexual assault case as proof that this works)
• Tiger is at his best when he is in control and there is no place in this world where he can regain some sense of control in his life better than the golf course.
• Tiger has shown he can overcome the pressure on the course, injuries, and a surge of very good young talented golfers.  If he can come back and compete, if not win, at the Masters he will be able to get back some of the confidence we have grown accustomed to seeing, as opposed to the shaky Woods on display at his most recent press conference
• And of course Tiger needs the Masters, because he can't afford to miss many opportunities at winner Major Tournaments if he wants to eclipse Nicklaus' incredible 18.

The Masters needs Tiger:

• TV ratings for The Masters at Augusta National from 1977-1996 were quite consistent, averaging 9.5 million viewers for the 2 day CBS weekend broadcasts.  Since 1997, and the start of the “Tiger Woods Era”, The Masters has averaged 11.7 million viewers, with noticeable peaks when Tiger was the winner (1997, 2001, 2002, 2005), or in the case of 2007, in contention on the final day and finished tied for second. (Nielsen TV Ratings)
• The highest rated Masters of all-time for viewership was in 1997 when Tiger won his first Masters Championship.  An astounding 15.8 million viewers were recorded by Nielsen.

Some may argue that I have left off the belief that more people go to the Masters if Tiger is playing so more money can be made, but this is not true.  The Masters has sold out every year since becoming a Major and on multiple occasions has instituted a waiting list for getting tickets to the event.  

According to the Masters website: Tournament or "Series" Badges (Thursday through Sunday) have been sold to those on our patron list which was closed due to demand in 1972. A waiting list began in 1972, and was closed in 1978. It reopened in 2000, and it too is now closed. No applications for "Series" Badges are currently being accepted.

This shows how the addition of Tiger Woods has not grown the popularity of the tournament at the actual tournament.  Certainly the TV ratings show that when Tiger plays and is in contention more people watch, but with all of Tiger's personal problems and the pressure on both him and his family at this time, I think it is actually Tiger who needs the Masters more, than the Masters needs him.