"Certainly his future will never again be measured only by his performance against par, but measured by the sincerity in his efforts to change. I hope he realizes that every kid he passes on the course wants his swing but would settle for his smile. I hope he can come to understand that life’s greatest rewards are reserved for those who bring joy to other people.”

Billy Payne was directing his comments towards Tiger's on-course behaviour. The surly, swearing, spitting, arrogant man who ignores all around him. Who hasn't signed an autograph or said "Hi!" to anyone in years unless a sponsor is waving a cheque.

Phil Mickelson is almost as big a star. Who, on practise days, will stand for hours signing anything waved in front of him and smiling for photographs.

Tiger is an unpleasant, arrogant man who has reaped as he has sown. The media have, rightly, ripped him to shreds. Has he learned a lesson? We will see.

...and spent some time talking to the old blokes who run the Augusta National, which is a sporting institution unique in my experience in that it's run by elderly millionaires who every year invite the world's best golfers to come and play. They're the only institution in the sporting world who haven't abased themselves in front of the latest generation of sporting superstars and I like them for that.

What Payne did was the sporting equivalent of the headmaster's dressing-down in morning assembly. While it didn't exactly contain the expression "let the school down and, most of all, let himself down" it may as well have done. It was designed to make the very old-fashioned point that there are some things you can't deal with via a tear-stained photocall followed by a round of the sofas and, no doubt, a post-therapy best seller. It was designed to make Woods feel small. He can stand a bit of that.