CBSSports.com and Masters.com plan to run 86 hours of live online video for next week's Masters tournament, a 50% increase from a year ago, and site execs expect a large spike in traffic due in part to the strong likelihood of Tiger Woods playing part or perhaps much of his Thursday and Friday rounds during business hours, when access to TVs is more limited.

In 2009 we saw the resurrection of the Gateway PGA/MAGA Cup Matches with the Amateurs holding off the pros 15-9. The two will again tussle for bragging rights April 18-19 at Gateway National Golf Links.

The Kansas City Golf Association conducted two outdoor Rules Seminars at Overland Park Golf Club and Drumm Farm Golf Club for area high school golf coaches. Fifeteen schools attended and were represented by 166 players and 24 coaches.

Park Ridge, Ill. - Illinois junior Scott Langley has been named the Big Ten Golfer of the Week. Langley fired consecutive rounds of 68 en route to a runner-up finish at the LA Classics Invitational held at the 7,141-yard par-72 Oakbourne Club in Lafayette, La., Monday and Tuesday.

Tiger Woods is reportedly out of the rehabilitation center in Arizona and has returned home to Orlando. Whether or not he is with his family is not known, but Tiger is apparently making the next step in his return to life on the PGA Tour. Last week on The Back Nine we spoke with Jaime Diaz, Golf Digest Senior Writer, who arguably is as close to Tiger and his family as any journalist cover the world's top player over the last 20 years. If you haven't seen Jaime's articles on Tiger over the last several weeks, check out www.golfdigest.com and give them a read, you won't be disappointed.

Tiger Woods' statement on Friday drew about 5.4 million cable viewers across ESPN, Golf Channel, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, Headline News and Fox News, which is "about three to four times the normal audience for that time of day for those networks," according to David Barron of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE.

January and February have been about fine tuning for Illinois head coach Mike Small, both for his game and for his players. The Illini open their spring stroke play schedule March 8 in Louisiana, but prior to that the Illini have been working on fundamentals and testing them in a pair of match play events. The second of those events is this weekend as the Illini meet Illinois State in the Seventh Annual Tinervin Cup Feb. 27 at Coral Creek Golf Club in Placida, Fla.

What was expected from Tiger Woods' first public comments since the world's greatest golfer went into virtual lock down varies from person to person. What was needed to be heard or thought deserved to be heard from Tiger varied equally as much in the court of public opinion. So you may be in the camp looking for more, or anxious to get past the circus that has become Tiger's life and more interested in seeing him back on the golf course. Regardless which side of the fence you are on, one thing is for sure - this is only the beginning.