Tiger Woods of the US hits from a sand trap on the fourth green during a practice round for the 2010 Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, April 5, 2010. [Agencies]

Not everybody watching was impressed with how Woods handled reporters' questions.

Phil Sloan of Boston said he found the golfer's promise to show more appreciation for his fans a bit too fluffy to be sincere.

"He did what Tiger does, which is he's good with the public and with the media," Sloan said. "I very much want to see Tiger play. I think he's going to tear it up. It's fabulous theater."

Woods didn't offer many new details about his personal life or what happened the night of his car crash. That was fine with Wendell Jones, who traveled to the Masters from Tennessee with his wife, Vicki.

"Who wants to know all the minor details?" Jones asked. "I don't want to know it, and I don't think anyone else does."

Charlie Ferguson of Hilton Head, South Carolina, said he was impressed with Woods' demeanor on the course, that he frequently flashed a smile and signed a few autographs.

"When this stuff broke, he let his fans down," Ferguson said. "And today he got them all back."