BEIJING, March 19 -- Oddsmakers didn't take long to make Tiger Woods the Masters favorite. Even his fellow competitors say they can see him trying on another green jacket.

They're expecting the Tiger of old at Augusta National. That might be because it's the only Tiger they know.

I say he'll be lucky to make the cut. It's not just the five months he has gone without hitting a shot for real, though that surely can't help. Woods will be rusty and the Masters is not a place to try to fine tune your game.

U.S. team member Tiger Woods watches play as he stands on the sixth hole during his foursome match at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Harding Park golf course in San Francisco, California, in this October 8, 2009 file photo.

No, it's because the Woods saga is a story that has morphed into a lot more than just the tale of a man who pretended to be something he wasn't. Once one of the most esteemed athletes in the world, he's now a soap opera-like figure whose last scripted apology clearly showed he has a lot more left to accomplish in his 12-step rehabilitation program.

He'll go to Augusta still stinging from the pasting he's taken from the tabloids and the late-night shows since crashing his car Thanksgiving night. He'll go there vulnerable and, for the first time, unsure what kind of reception he'll get.

The media will want to ask him questions. The fans will want him to act contrite.

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