Tiger takes Arnie advice

AUGUSTA: Taking advice from golf legend Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods is set to answer questions at the Masters in his first news conference since becoming embroiled in a sex scandal last November.

Woods, who has not played competitively since winning the Australian Masters in mid-November, will speak on April 5, according to a tentative schedule released by Augusta National Golf Club.

And Woods could be looking at playing his first US PGA tournament since last September at the end of April. Woods agent Mark Steinberg talked to Quail Hollow Championship tournament director Kym Hougham on Wednesday at Augusta, according to the New York Daily News.

Woods typically speaks on Tuesday afternoons before major tournaments along with many other players, but would get the session out of the way early and move on with the rest of the Augusta week under the plan.

Palmer said on the eve of his PGA event in Orlando that facing the media questions might help Woods the most. "I suppose the best thing he could do would be open up and just let (reporters) shoot (questions) at him," Palmer said. "That might be the best way to move on."