Tiger Woods appeared in a new Nike commercial yesterday on the eve of his return to professional golf at the Masters Tournament.
The 30-second spot features Woods looking at the camera while a recording of his late father, Earl Woods, speaks about responsibility. Nike made the ad available on YouTube.com before running it on ESPN and the Golf Channel.
"Tiger, I am more prone to be inquisitive, to promote discussion," Earl Woods says in the ad. "I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are and did you learn anything."
Woods (34) hasn't played in a professional tournament since a November car crash that set off a sex scandal that included an admission of marital infidelity and the loss of several of his corporate sponsors. Nike has been one of the few to stick with Woods, who endorses its line of golf clothing and equipment.
"We support Tiger and his family," Nike said yesterday in an e-mailed statement. "As he returns to competitive golf, the ad addresses his time away from the game using the powerful words of his father."
The Masters, which Woods has won four times, begins today at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. The world's number one-ranked golfer told reporters this week that he wanted to prove to his corporate sponsors that he's a "worthy investment".