Nike and video game maker Electronic Arts released statements yesterday saying they looked forward to seeing him return to the golf course.

"Nike can probably imagine nothing better than Tiger coming back, withstanding the pressure of everyone watching him and winning," said Rick Burton, former chief marketing officer of the US Olympic Committee and a sports marketing professor at Syracuse University, as reported by the Association Press. "This is going to be a heavily photographed, heavily videotaped, heavily Youtubed appearance. Tiger's Nike hat, Nike shirt and Nike ball are all going to get a lot of visibility."

The impact of his return will be maximised by its venue – the Masters draws the biggest US television ratings of any golf tournament and is now likely to draw even bigger audiences than usual.

One sports marketing expert the AP spoke to said it doesn't even matter how well Woods plays.

"When it comes to his brand it is irrelevant how he does," said John Sweeney, director of sports communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's School of Journalism and Mass Communication. However Sweeney predicted it would be a while before Woods could attract any new sponsors.

Others disagree and say Woods needs to win.

"Unless he wins, he's not going to return to the high level of media exposure he's accustomed to and that's something sponsors will have to take a good look at," said David Carter, executive director of the Sports Institute at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business, as reported by Reuters. "A great performance will mitigate that personal branding damage."