Nike has virtually built the golf section of its brand on the back of its sponsorship of Woods and the company has no intentions of rushing the World #1 back into competition until he is ready to be back inside the ropes. Nike brand president Charlie Denson emphasized this when he said: “Under the circumstances, the more he deals with the issues and the better he deals with them, the better off he’ll be when he does return”.

After losing Accenture and AT&T as sponsors while being downgraded by Gillette and Tag-Huer, Woods can at least count on his major sponsor supporting him through what has surely been the toughest period of his career to date.

“We’ve been supportive of Tiger since the story broke and we continue to be supportive,” Denson said. “He’s got issues he needs to deal with and he’s dealing with them. We are looking forward to him getting back on the golf course.”

Woods issued a public apology last week and has said that he is returning to rehab to solve issues with his personal life.