INSIDE EDITION reports from the Masters Tournament press conference, where Tiger Woods faced tough questions from the press for the first time since his scandal surfaced.
Tiger Woods on the hot seat. The golf great takes tough questions as he meets the press for the first time since the scandal broke over four months ago. At times, he chose not to give a direct answer.
One reporter asked Woods, "How did you fool so many people for so long?"
Woods replied, "You know, Tom, I fooled myself, rationalized, and even lied to myself."
"Did Ambien play a role in the car crash?" asked one reporter.
"Well, the police investigated the accident, and they cited me 166 bucks, and it's a closed case," answered Woods.
But he did answer the question that everyone has been wondering about, will Elin join him for his big return to competitive golf?
"Elin is not coming this week.," said Woods.
One reporter asked, "Should you be returning to the game so soon?"
"Well, I'm excited to play this week," said Woods.
INSIDE EDITION's Les Trent reporting from Augusta, Georgia, says Tiger Woods is receiving a warm welcome from spectators at the Masters. Cries of 'Go get 'em' and 'Good luck' are being met with warm smiles and 'Thank you's' from Tiger. But there's still concern that he'll be the target of hecklers or even physical harm. So extraordinary security is in place.
Tiger made his way through a practice round Monday. A reported 90 additional security officers, including former Secret Service and FBI agents, have been assigned to protect him, and each is said to be armed with photos of Tiger's mistresses, just in case anyone decides to show up.
Long-time attendees of the Masters say that this years crowd is more robust than others. Ticket holders face long lines and security searches. Security guards announce to the crowd as they enter, "No cell phones, no pocketknives, no weapons."
It's a scene that Tiger's wife Elin is avoiding. She was spotted near their Florida home, picking up daughter Sam from school.
Meanwhile, so-called mistress number one, Rachel Uchitel, strikes a provocative pose in the new issue of New York Magazine, in which she says she is not a madame and opens up about the secret life of high-priced party girls. She says she was paid half a million dollars a year as a hostess.
"People say I hang out with only celebs. No. I hang out with successful people. I hang out with people who matter," said Uchitel.
Among those happy to see Woods back on the tour, golf sponsors. TV viewing of golf dropped nearly 50% during his absence.
