Okay, that’s not true. I care about his game.

No doubt Tiger messed up big time and he’s the one who has to live with his mistakes. But four-plus months later, I’m beyond over it. At least for today. (I’m not saying that I won’t continue covering Tiger, but hopefully it’ll be mostly directly golf-related.)

What else can we ask for from Tiger? He publicly humiliated himself with his awful apology speech. He gave two one-on-one interviews, albeit only five minutes long each. He let the media fire questions at him without restrictions (at least explicit ones) for 34 minutes.

Sure, I wish he would just tell us what the hell he went to rehab for instead of abruptly saying “That’s personal.” It seems pretty obvious, so why not just admit to it? Isn’t that part of treatment, anyone? Alcoholics talk about being alcoholics. And I think we’re far beyond what’s personal and what isn’t at this point.

I also wish he would have clarified what role Ambien and/or Vicodin played in his car crash. And I wish someone would have asked about the validity of the recent reports that reveal his inner circle knew about his affairs, contrary to what he said in the Golf Channel interview.

But — I honestly don’t care enough anymore to make a huge fuss over it. People will continue to press for answers and I commend them for their tenacity. As we’ve seen with this melodrama, the truth will come out eventually. Just not from Tiger. (At least anytime soon.) But at this point, I’m just tired of chasing it.

I have to admit Tiger revealed more of himself than I’ve ever seen on Monday. Even if that doesn’t say much — the bar has been set pretty low. But the Tiger I saw sitting behind the podium was considerably softer, gentler, less confident and even a little nervous (which makes me think he must feel the same about his golf game).

He even shared an anecdote about how upset he was that he missed his son’s birthday (because he was in rehab). His ability to command an audience was still present, but something was different. Maybe he said it best: “When you live a life where you’re lying all the time, life is not fun. And that’s where I was. Now that’s been stripped all away and here I am. And it feels fun again.”

When grilled about the treatment he received from Dr. Anthony Galea, who has been charged with importing performance enhancing drugs, he described the reasoning for the platelet-enriched plasma treatments. But of all the doctors, why Dr. Galea? “Well, he’s worked with so many athletes,” he explained. He also divulged an injury he hadn’t previously shared — a torn Achilles tendon. (Which actually brings up more questions because from my understanding, that is very painful and you can’t even walk.)

Tiger’s proven himself to be a very good liar, so it’s not like I believe him without reservation. But really, after the past few months, all he had to do was smile and come across as genuine to win most people over. Part of me is still skeptical, but the Tiger we saw today sounds similar to the one that gave Hunter Mahan’s caddie, John Wood, a man hug when the cameras weren’t around. Maybe it’s just that I’m weary, so at this point seeming genuine is good enough for me. And if I’m weary, imagine how he’s feeling. I mean, really — the kindergarten teacher. So — when he says he’s had enough — and acts like it, for 34 minutes — I actually am inclined to believe him.

So, well done, Tiger. Now go play some golf. Because that’s all I want to care about from you any more. I only need to read about you on the sports pages, not Page Six. No more Entertainment Weekly special reports, just SportsCenter’s top plays (on the golf course). And stay away from pancake joints — stick to the drive-thru at McDonald’s.

Stephanie Wei is a freelance writer/blogger in NYC. She graduated from Yale University in 2005, where she was a member of the Women’s Golf Team. She blogs regularly about golf at weiunderpar.com.

TMZ is reporting he will return to golf next month, while Charlie Gasparino, recently of Fox Business Network, reports he will first make a public apology, likely Friday.

TMZ wrote:

As we first reported, a source who works for Tiger Woods told TMZ Tiger planned to play at Tavistock in March — a PGA event between the golf pros at Isleworth and the neighboring Lake Nona pros.

They also said he would play in the Masters.

Gasparino was supposed to make his FBN debut on Monday, but instead was on-air this afternoon with his scoop on the breaking news.

Said Gasparino (“the newest member of the Fox Business team,” said anchor Liz Claman):

I have been speaking with sponsors who say they have been alerted by his reps that a public apology from Tiger Woods is imminent. It could occur as early as tomorrow sometime around 11am, and that there’s going to be an announcement of the public apology that will be done at a press conference some time tonight. Now like I said, we don’t have this yet from Tiger’s representatives.

Back in December we put the odds for Woods breaking his silence by press conference at 12:1.

> Update: What the hell? Gregg Jarrett of FNC reports:

He’s apparently not going to be answering questions from the media, who will not even be allowed in the same room. They’re going to be – by the way only credentialed reporters, and not quite sure what that means – they’re going to be in an adjacent room watching a closed feed. Now this is going to be a conversation that Tiger’s going to be having with a group of friends, colleagues and close associates.

Here’s the FBN story:

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Until now, Tiger has largely avoided controversy. After a ’97 GQ article revealed his fondness for telling dirty jokes, he became even more guarded when talking to the press. He’s a fine-tuned media machine, giving concise, bland responses that offer no room for misinterpretation. He doesn’t try to charm the public; simply because we love him regardless — what he does on the golf course makes up for his lack of warmth. Before this past weekend, his only public shortcomings were cursing and throwing clubs on the golf course. Other than that, we know very little about Tiger’s personality. We know even less about his supermodel Swedish wife, for that matter. I don’t think I’ve ever heard her utter a word, and that’s probably not by chance. Remember when the shipbuilding company he commissioned to build his yacht used his name and photos of him and the yacht as promotional materials without his permission? He sued them — and won. Somewhat humorously, he named the boat, “Privacy.” Duly noted.

This is also unfamiliar territory for the media that covers him. Even though many columnists are prodding Tiger to tell the truth, they’re doing it for selfish reasons — they want to stop writing about it, too. It makes their jobs a lot tougher if one of the greatest athletes of any generation with a pristine reputation turns out to be a(n) (allegedly) womanizing jerk who is (literally) above the law. The media is so enamored by Tiger that even if he were to spit in an old lady’s face or slap a child taking a picture of him in the middle of his backswing, many writers would still probably find a way to compliment him on his competitive drive.

And the vaunted Tiger Woods PR Team — one that had successfully kept his private life under wraps for so long — failed miserably this time around. Most likely because they’re having as much trouble unearthing the truth as everyone else is. It’s tough to spin things when the facts are so blurry. It wasn’t until 12 hours after that we first heard he was in an accident and initial reports stated he was “seriously injured.” Then, the information we received from various news outlets, including TMZ, kept changing and it’s only become more absurd – mostly because Tiger has yet to hold a formal press conference on his turfed-up front lawn with a bandaged face. On Sunday, Florida Highway Patrol troopers went to the Woods’ residence for a scheduled interview, only to be turned away. For the third time. To complete the stonewall, the FHP was then contacted by Mark NeJame, a high-profile criminal defense attorney known as the “Johnnie Cochran of Orlando,” who informed them he was now representing Tiger.

But Tiger might not be able to hide for much longer. According to TMZ, sources claim the FHP is now seeking a search warrant to procure medical records from the hospital that treated Tiger to determine whether his injuries were sustained from his car accident or domestic violence. While there are still many questions left unanswered, Tiger has made one thing very clear: he’s not talking. Unless you count the robotic PR message he posted on his website Sunday afternoon as “talking.”

The traditionally conservative golf media and Tour are, not surprisingly, skittish about reporting this story. Writers from the major golf outlets have treaded very carefully with their coverage. Golf Digest, one of the largest golf publications in the world, has only posted AP articles and no personal opinions from their columnists on their website — for good reason, considering they are one of Tiger’s sponsors. But even in the worst case scenario — that he did have an affair with Rachel Uchitel; that he was fleeing his house at 2:25AM after a fight with his wife; and that the accident was caused because she was chasing him with a golf club — his sponsors will still pay him lots of money to sell their products and fans from around the world will still follow his every move on the golf course. In the end, with whatever shred of truth about this story eventually leaks out, the only thing that it will prove is that Tiger is, in fact, larger than life. We just have to deal with it.

Update - Florida Police have announced Tiger Woods will be issued a careless driving citation for the crash outside his home last week, Florida Highway Patrol claimed earlier today. The spokesperson also claimed that there would be no allegation of domestic abuse on either side. – Colby Hall

Stephanie Wei lives in NYC. She graduated from Yale University in 2005, where she majored in History and was a member of the Women’s Golf Team. She blogs regularly about golf at weiunderpar.com.

(image via The Other Brooks Brother)