After he relatively quietly, all things considered, re-entered the golf universe to a surprisingly appreciative crowd in Augusta last month, it seemed Tiger Woods was already back on track to greatness.

Sure, he may not have won another green jacket, but his performance and the relatively few questions about his person life seemed to indicate that it would simply be a matter of time before the golf demigod returned to his place on the sports Mount Olympus.

Then Quail Hollow happened. Woods missed only the sixth cut of his career and people began to grumble. Maybe getting outside the protected gates of Augusta National led him to lose his focus and serenity. Was it possible that this could be the beginning of the real comeback and that The Masters was an aberration?

But that talked died down after a couple of days. Then, at a practice round in preparation for the Tour Players Championship, Tiger was spotted putting balls into the drink at the rate of a public muni hacker. Was Tiger rattled? Were reports of his impending divorce distracting him?

Then Sunday at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida happened, and it became clear that Tigers comeback is destined to be fraught with historic media attention, constant second guessing and all manner of speculation and even some character assassination.

Having been so secretive for so long, a trait that apparently was used in part to cover up a secret life he was living, it seems nobody trusts Woods anymore. Was he really hurt Saturday or did he just quit? Maybe his neck was sore, but that pain was probably compounded by the emotional weight of dealing with the fallout from his horrible choices. But Tiger doesnt feel emotion, does he? So maybe the pain was real? But he played (and won) a U.S. Open on one leg. Could a crick in his neck really make it too hard to play golf? Maybe he would have stayed in the tournament if he had a better chance to win? If he hadnt finished the last three holes on Saturday at two over par, would he have stayed in the tournament? Was the pain in his neck from the car accident he had? He did say at his news conference that he had suffered a busted lip and a sore neck.

And, then, of course there were the jokes. Even Paul Azinger cracked on Twitter that Woods could use a Swedish massage. And the hits (and questions) just kept on coming.

This is the new Tiger universe post scandal. Had Woods pulled out of a tournament (something he has done just two others times as a pro) a year or two ago, people would have been equally shocked, but the reaction would have mostly centered around what amazing pain he must be enduring. Now? Nobody knows what to believe. They likely dont believe Tiger. Hes given everybody every right to doubt him.

And thats what is going to make his comeback all the more interesting now. It was going to be hard enough for Woods to return to championship caliber golf in the best of circumstances following his scandal, but with a pinched nerve and a world of doubt and whispers surrounding him, it is clear that Tiger is going to have even more of a battle on his hands than he thought.