Note to Tiger: Sooner would be better

It would be good for many parties if Tiger Woods decides to return to the PGA Tour fold at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill on March 25-28.

For one thing, it would allow PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem to escape from questions about when Woods is returning. Also, beyond the boost in TV ratings and media attention for the tour, it would allow the circus that his return is going to be to happen before the Masters, a tradition-rich event that doesn't relish controversy.

While the restrictions on the press at Augusta National would make things easier for Woods, the circus atmosphere his return is going to bring isn't something everyone will embrace, including many of his peers.

Steve Stricker said Saturday at the CA Championship that Woods making his return at the Masters would be an odd move and might take away from the year's first major championship.

"Hopefully he comes back before that," Stricker told Bob Harig of ESPN.com. at the Doral Resort. "You'd think as a player, being gone for so long, he'd want to come back before that. Whenever he comes back it's going to draw a lot of attention to that tournament and the focus is going to be on him coming back. I don't know if Augusta would like that to happen, you know? To turn it into Tiger's comeback instead of the Masters Tournament itself."

Stricker, a friend of Woods who has not heard from him since the scandal of his infidelities unfolded, said if anyone could win the Masters without playing a tournament for months, it would be Woods. Still, it would be difficult.

"It's going to be hard for him to not only worry about playing but all the hype," said Stricker, who has risen to No. 2 in the world. "It's going to be intensified even more so than it has been. That's why I thought he'd come back for a tournament or two before that to get some of that put aside before Augusta.

"It would be great for him to come back and it be put to rest. Moving forward. I want him back. It gets the attention put on our game for the right reasons."

NBC analyst Johnny Miller also has suggested it would be good for Woods to play a tournament before the Masters.

"Tiger, with his talent, has the ability to have a big break and come out of the box pretty good," Miller said. "But I don't know. If he wants to win at Augusta, which he does, he's going to have to play Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill tournament. No doubt about that.

"I really believe he needs to get one tournament under his belt -- get the cobwebs out, get his confidence going. And you can't do that at the Tavistock (an exhibition before the Arnold Palmer Invitational). You can't do that playing at Isleworth. You've got to play it under competition."

Whenever Woods comes back, it will be interesting to see how galleries will welcome back the game's No. 1-ranked player. Will an ugly and unruly kind of fan that many other sports know surface in the world of tournament golf? If that happens, than all of Woods’ colleagues will pay a price for his indiscretions.

“I’m eager for him to get back out here, hopefully sooner rather than later,” Stricker said. “I don’t know if being in his group the first time he comes back is going to be easy. It will definitely be a challenge. I’ve thought about it. In some regard, you would like to be out there, to be with him the first time. Hopefully, that would make it easier for him, but it’s going to be hard for him and everyone in that group.”

Information from ESPN.com, Golf Channel.com and Golf.com contributed to this post.