AUGUSTA, Ga. » As intriguing as the 36 minutes were that Tiger Woods spent answering questions yesterday with practiced precision for a packed room of Masters media, his tour of the famed Augusta National course was more telling.

The world's greatest golfer looked anything but during yesterday morning's practice round as Woods tries to overcome the effects of not playing competitive golf for nearly five months. To put it bluntly, he did not look good on the tee box, in the fairway, in the bunker, or on the green as he practiced with close friend Fred Couples as both past champions prepare for Thursday's opening round.

A large contingent of patrons watched Woods as helicopters hovered overhead to get a glimpse of what promises to be the most anticipated 18 holes of golf since Woods was forced into overtime by Rocco Mediate at the 2008 U.S. Open.

Nobody asked Woods if they should put him in their fantasy golf lineup, but he did answer numerous questions about his personal life and his relationship with Dr. Anthony Galea, who was arrested with performance-enhancing drugs as he tried to enter the United States from Canada late last year.

Woods said he had platelet-enriched plasma treatments for a rickety left knee and a torn Achilles' tendon he suffered while training in December 2008. He conceded that the reason Galea visited his home for this treatment was so he could get well quicker and return to the game he loves.

Has he been contacted by federal investigators looking into Galea and his relationship with big-time athletes? Not directly, but he will give his time if requested. Why did Woods seek out treatment from this controversial figure?

“;Well, he's worked with so many athletes,”; Woods said, adding, “;There's a certain comfort level to that when a person has worked with athletes.”;

Woods was surprisingly calm throughout his first full question-and-answer session with members of the media. He did give a pair of 5-minute interviews with the Golf Channel and ESPN prior to yesterday's gathering, but this was a full-on facial with men and women who cover him regularly on the PGA Tour.

Perhaps the most revealing moment was Woods' admission that he missed his son's first birthday because of treatment for an undisclosed illness that Woods calls, “;personal.”; He was obviously upset by this, and the fact he revealed it speaks volumes about Woods, who guards his private life zealously.

“;Having spent Christmas Day with my family was just incredible, and then having to go off from there into treatment — that was a very difficult time,”; Wood said, “;because what most people probably don't realize is that because of the time frame of it, I missed my son's first birthday. And that hurts. That hurts a lot.

“;I vowed I would never miss another one after that. I can't go back to where I was. I want to be a part of my son's life and my daughter's life going forward and I missed his first birthday. I mean, that was very hard that day and something I regret and I probably will for the rest of my life.”;

As for where he was going and what he was doing and how he got there, Woods revealed little that was new. He talked a lot, but he didn't say a lot, something many media members discussed afterward among themselves. Woods is a master at this. It's something he has practiced for most of his career.

He did say his wife and kids would not be here this week. He also said the reason he came back so soon after stating he didn't know when he would play golf again was that once he started practicing with his swing coach, he couldn't wait to tee it up.

“;When I gave my speech in February, I had no intention of playing golf in the near future at all,”; Woods said. “;And then I started hitting more balls and more balls and more balls and I started getting the itch again to start playing again (smiling).”;

As for his chances this week, well, those who saw him yesterday didn't get the sense that Woods would be in contention come the weekend. The last time he came off a long layoff to play in a major was at the U.S. Open after his father died. And he missed the cut.

But no one is willing to bet against him. After all, he handled yesterday's press conference with relative ease; not once did he bristle at any of the pointed questions. He even apologized profusely to his fellow competitors for putting them in such an awkward spot the past five months. But winning this event is a tall order, especially if yesterday's practice round is any indication.

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Sports editor Paul Arnett covers golf for the Star-Bulletin. Watch for his reports from the Masters every day this week.