The daily revelations about Tiger Woods' personal life have been like gold dust for media outlets around the world, the salacious speculation proving too sensational for any reader to be without reaction or thirst to find out more. From disgust and disbelief to sympathy and support, as details of the golfer's misdeeds continue to unravel it is hard not to have an opinion on the transgressions of the tarnished Tiger.

However, a more pertinent opinion for golf fans might be how the events of the last few weeks will affect the performance, and ultimately the legacy, of a player who from the start of his illustrious career has been tipped to become the greatest golfer to ever grace the game.

Such status would not be confirmed by conjecture, but hard statistics. The 33-year-old American, since claiming his first Major in 1997, has racked up an amazing 14 titles, winning in a manner that has drawn countless new fans to the game.

His current standing is just four short of the overall record of 18 Major tournament victories set by Jack Nicklaus. Nicklaus retired in 2005 aged 65 - the potential for Tiger, whose career is in its infancy by comparison, to not only match Nicklaus but to surpass the great man's mark, is there for all to see.

Tiger's ascension to greatness was widely assumed a foregone conclusion, but given the ferocious nature of the current media storm, who is to say what kind of player will emerge back onto the greens?

Sure, Woods has shown his unrivaled caliber for competing under pressure before, but now the intensity of the media glare on the greens is matched in the realm of his private life too. Extreme focus and mental strength will be required for such scrutiny to not affect the man, let alone the player putting for prizes in front of an audience of millions.

The pre and post-round interviews, so long a stroll-in-the-park for the media-savvy Woods, now look a daunting prospect; a minefield of loaded questions primed to further damage his already battle-scarred image. Will Woods be able to keep a clear mind while playing in the knowledge that competition means more questions?

How will the crowd react? Will Woods ever be able to play on a golf course again without distracting comments from the galleries that surround his place of work? If his performance dips on the course how many of the brands associated with him will want to weather his off-course problems?

How Woods manages his comeback will be fascinating to watch, but only time will tell whether the world's best golfer has hampered his own bid to become the greatest ever, in a more emphatic way than any of his golfing rivals could have delivered.

The news that Tiger Woods crashed his car has caused shock around the world - the act seemingly so inconceivable for a man who has historically demonstrated such power of control as a driver. But surely it is unfair to expect perfection both on and off the golf course?

The intrigue generated by a figure, so famed for inch-perfect precision of movement, driving an SUV into a fire hydrant and then a tree has proved a powerful draw to global consumers of news; initially through fear that an iconic figure of our times had been seriously hurt, then through curiosity that the machine-like forger of fortune had revealed himself as a human capable of mistake after all.

Woods is a living legend whose track record at times defies belief. Since turning professional in 1996, the Floridian has dominated his sport so comprehensively that his legend has transcended the discipline of fairways and greens to make him one of the most famous men on the planet.

It's not just his sporting achievements that set him apart - at just 33-years-old his record of 14 Major-wins leaves him just four short of the all-time record set by Jack Nicklaus - it is also the manner of his victories and the public persona that has been built around such success.

So appealing is his image to corporate association that he has become the biggest-earning sportsman on the planet, bringing in an annual estimated income of $110 million.

There are fairy-tales and there's the Tiger tale, and up to the point Woods drove his vehicle from the road, the latter modern-day fable had proved more compelling. So the illusion of perfection has been shattered - but is this a bad thing, and does it reduce the power of Woods' story? Well, no.

The image of Woods, like any, is a projection and not a reality; a persona kept clean and free of controversy to maximize the revenue-generating potential of a legendary sporting talent. In many ways, you can't see the Woods for the artificial trees.

So the contrived image has been cracked, but what human - especially one under such pressure to deliver - could have upheld the perfect picture for as long? And is it a surprise that something different lies underneath?

Whatever the cause behind the crash, Woods has at last shown he's a mere mortal who, though blessed with supreme talent, has personal ups-and-downs like the rest of us.

The story may have developments yet but the remarkable record of Tiger's accomplishments will go down in history regardless of his less-than-impressive track-record with Thanksgiving transportation.

A "human typhoon" is how one commentator described Manny Pacquiao's demolition of former welterweight champion Miguel Cotto in Las Vegas on Saturday, where, akin to the seasonal storms that have battered his Philippines' homeland recently, the Pac-man rained down powerful punches on his Puerto Rican opponent in a manner that left devastation in the ring.

Pacquiao has long been revered for his speed, stamina and range of hits, but under the lights of the MGM Grand Garden Arena, the man from Kibawe entered the pantheon of greats with his WBO-title victory.

The win was impressive for a number of reasons. Firstly, Pacquiao was fighting at welterweight for only the second time in his career. There are always doubts whether the strength to win can be maintained when a fighter moves up the weight divisions, so it was remarkable that a man who has gone from super featherweight to welterweight in two years - and who has now fought at nine different weight divisions having started as a light-flyweight - not only had the harder punches, but absorbed the onslaught of a bigger man so easily.

There have been greats who have been multi-weight champions before too (Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar De La Hoya, Thomas Hearns and Floyd Mayweather), but Pacquiao now has seven world titles to his name - if IBO and Ring magazine belts are included - a mark that beats the record of six set by De La Hoya.

The 30-year-old, who was born in poverty, has also captured his glory the hard way. The twelfth-round stoppage against Cotto gave the world's best pound-for-pound boxer a career record of 50 wins, three defeats and two draws - 55 fights in total. Compare this number of grueling bouts to Mayweather's 40 undefeated, De La Hoya's 45 career fights, Joe Frazier's 37 bouts, Lennox Lewis's 44 or Leonard's 40.

Not only has Pacquiao fought and beaten the best around - including Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez and ending De La Hoya's career - he has endured a greater number of fights than many of his peers.

Bob Arum, a man who has managed some of the biggest names in boxing over the last forty years told reporters: "I've promoted Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, and Manny Pacquiao is the best fighter I have ever seen."

A sentiment that Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach agreed with: "Compared to all those names, he's as good as any of them. He's the greatest fighter of his era, for sure. 100 percent."

Like Ali, Pacquiao too has a popularity that transcends his sport. His story of rags to riches has captured the imagination of a legion of fans around the world, he was the first Filipino athlete to appear on a postage stamp and was named as one of the world's most influential people of 2009 by Time Magazine. He also has a keen interest in politics, a passion that should see him run successfully for congress in the Philippines in 2010. If the fight with Floyd Mayweather happens it is expected to be the highest grossing of all-time.

The title of "great" is often used cheaply, but with Pacquiao it is richly deserved.

The 2009 re-run of David versus Goliath may not have included the slingshot prop of the biblical bout, but the Russian world heavyweight champion, Nikolai Valuev, was felled using the same approach as that which downed the talismanic Philistine: brains outwitted brawn.

David Haye gave away more than seven stone to WBA titleholder Valuev, but though much had been made of the difference in bulk between the two boxers beforehand, when fight-night came, challenger's game-plan ensured he became the first British heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis with ease.

Comfortable and relaxed from first bell to last, it is even more remarkable and demonstrative of the rising star of Haye that the former cruiserweight champion secured a points win with a right hand that had been broken in the second round.

Valuev's technique was shown to be slow and one-dimensional. Though the 36-year-old had a fearsome reputation, his straight left jab was his only means of meaningful attack, and when Haye showed that pinning him down with such a blunt instrument would be like trapping oil with a colander, Valuev was left stumped and without a plan B.

The 29-year-old Haye was so effective at avoiding the line of attack from the "Beast from the East" that Valuev was left groping the shadows and spaces the Londoner's lean shape had left in the air prior to moving, a recurring event that morphed the aura of Valuev from fearsome colossus to bemused behemoth in a matter of rounds.

Haye stuck to the script - to hit and not be hit - slipping and sliding around the slow-motion Russian before returning fire with well-placed hooks and humdingers. Prior to the fight, much of the talk was whether Haye would be able to go the distance if required, but in truth the Briton finished with energy to spare, saving the most bombastic combination for round 12.

If fights were still fought over 15 rounds, it was hard to see any other outcome than more punishment for the now lumbering giant, Haye's lifetime dream was minutes away from being realized.

Once crowned, Haye admitted the bout had gone as he had hoped: "I had to make him miss so much that he started thinking twice about what he was going to throw. Once that happened it gave me more room to do my thing."

Haye must face America's John Ruiz in the mandatory defense of his newly-acquired crown for his next fight, but Vitali Klitschko (the WBC champion) has already said that, if Haye comes through unscathed, he is keen to fight to unite the belts.

The victory secured in Nuremburg, Germany may ultimately only prove the first step in a career that will see the unification of the belts by a personality that could light up a division bereft of bums-on-seats characters, but if nothing else it proved once again that the little man can triumph over seemingly unbelievable odds with a little bit of thought.

On the surface, it may seem a strange decision by the South Africa Football Association (SAFA), to sack the coach of their national football team just eight months short of hosting a World Cup.

Is now really the time to unsettle a team under pressure with the replacement of their leader? The answer is clear, but the context is all-important.

The significance of Africa staging an international tournament of such magnitude for the first time needs no restating, but among the greater concerns for local organizers and FIFA alike - on top of anxieties regarding security, accommodation and transportation - is the performance of the host side South Africa.

The momentum and ultimate success of such events rely on a groundswell of domestic support.  Without captivating the attention of the indigenous population - whether in South Korea and Japan, as in 2002, or the United States in 1990 –  there is a fear that games will be played to half-empty stadiums devoid of atmosphere and drama.

Aside from such a potentially embarrassing back-drop for sponsors and traveling fans alike, the financial implications of an early exit of Bafana Bafana could deprive a nation of an important focus for national unity.

Who can forget how the victory of the Springbok rugby team, who won the oval-balled version of the World Cup as hosts in 1995, affected a South Africa emerging from an era of apartheid?

Engagement with the tournament by those living in South Africa then, is a high priority - and the best way to ensure this is for the home side not to get knocked out early.

Unfortunately, for Joel Santana, there was too much riding on his capabilities and perceived under performance as a coach to let his tenure continue any further.

Despite a good showing at the recent Confederations Cup, under the Brazilian's leadership South Africa have dropped to their lowest world rank since 1994 (they are currently 85th).

In a squad where first-class talent is scarce, Santana's inability to coerce all-time record goalscorer Benni McCarthy back to the national cause could be seen as a crucial failure, his team were also accused of playing overly defensive football in an attempt to get results. The potential of pulse-racing performances come the World Cup seemed a distinct outside bet.

In 27 matches in-charge the 60-year-old was defeated 14 times, a statistic that would always have hacks sharpening their pencils considering his monthly wage of $175,000.

What backing remained vanished when eight defeats from his last nine games was followed by ill-judged comments to the press that he had "not been hired to win friendly fixtures." Maybe not, but why not inspire confidence with a win or two?

Santana may have also been wise to look at the history of his employers on accepting his first international coaching role. SAFA are no strangers to making bold decisions in the build up to major competitions: both former bosses Clive Barker and Carlos Queiroz were given the boot just months before the 1998 and 2002 tournaments respectively.

Santana had to go, but the question remains who will replace him? Whoever does takeover the reins of South Africa, the fans of Bafana Bafana will be hoping the drama off the pitch can be replaced with drama on the pitch come June.

The season had started like a fairytale. Despite initially facing the prospect of having no drive for the 2009 season after Honda pulled out of Formula One, Jenson Button was suddenly the man of the moment.

The hastily put-together Brawn GP team had developed a startlingly fast race car. So fast in fact that the British driver - whose career had seemed in terminal decline after one victory had come from six disappointing seasons with Renault, BAR, and Honda - was suddenly the man to beat.

The mark was set early - qualifying on pole for the curtain-opening Australian grand prix - Button led from start to finish to pick up maximum points and deliver a Brawn one-two finish. The first time a debut team had finished first and second since 1954.

With a car that seemingly could deliver, Button had the chance to realize his potential. He won the next five races, punctuated only by a third-place finish at the Chinese grand prix in Shanghai, to put himself top of the drivers' championship by some margin.

But just when it looked as if the 29-year-old's march to his elusive first world title was unstoppable ... the wheels, metaphorically speaking, came off.

Button has not been back on the podium since his win in Turkey, and in all subsequent races has been significantly off the pace with finishes of sixth, fifth, seventh and seventh.

Former triple-world champion Jackie Stewart theorized Button's problems were down to the peculiarities of the Brawn car. During a recent visit to CNN, the Scot revealed the leading constructors have problems getting heat into their tires. This is rarely a problem at races in warm climates - like those at the start of the season - but the cooler tracks of northern Europe have seen a marked decline in performance from the all-white cars.

The more well-financed competitors like McLaren and Ferrari have closed the technical advantage in recent months, however, this does not explain easily why Rubens Barrichello has stayed competitive and managed to outperform his teammate over the same period.

The 37-year-old Brazilian is now Button's closest title-rival, and it's a fair assumption that the wily driver from Sao Paulo plans to take full advantage of the fear he is sensing in his stablemate.

Maybe it's stage fright, it's easy to win when nobody expects you to, but maybe the pressure of being the front runner, the one the paddock looks to for delivery, is proving a heavy burden for the Englishman. Button himself has admitted in recent weeks that he needs to regain his form to prevent a capitulation at the last - the devastating thought of letting the F1 crown pass to another after so much hard work is a negative thought Button must keep from his mind if he is to come through.

His slump worsened at Spa where he retired on the first lap – shunted off by Renault’s Romain Grosjean. Button walked away from the accident relatively unscathed as did his lead at the top of Drivers Championship.

His teammate Barrichello finished seventh (2 points) and Mark Webber ninth. Only Sebastian Vettel who finished third (six points) made up any significant ground on the Briton. But Button can ill afford any more slip ups in the season’s remaining five races.

Champions are often those who are mentally most strong and Brawn's number 22 will have to prove his mettle to prevent 2009 being remembered as the mysterious case of the disappearing Button.

Portuguese football coach Jose Mourinho, ever the headline creator, has caused further outcry this week after he substituted Ghanaian midfielder Sulley Muntari from his Inter Milan side during a drab 1-1 draw a league game against Bari.

Taking a tired player from the field of play was hardly breaking news, at least it wasn't until Mourinho revealed the move had been prompted because the player's perceived "low-energy levels" were as a result of fasting.

Muntari is a practising Muslim who, like many of the same faith around the world, is currently not eating during the hours of daylight to mark the Ramadan holy period.

A discipline that clearly irked Mourinho who said in a post-match press conference: "Muntari had some problems related to Ramadan, perhaps with this heat it's not good for him to be doing this (fasting). Ramadan has not arrived at the ideal moment for a player to play a football match."

Muslim leaders in Italy have criticized the opinions of the coach known as the "Special One", but Mourinho did not rule out the possibility of dropping the player for the Milan derby - between arch rivals Inter Milan and AC Milan - this weekend for the same reason.

Elsewhere in Italy, fellow Muslim and Siena striker Abdelkader Ghezzal added to the debate by revealing he cannot fast and play at the same time.

"I've always observed Ramadan but I have had to change my habits for health reasons from the first year that I became a professional. Before that I played at Crotone [while fasting] but after two weeks I felt ill and had to stop."

So is Mourinho right to take account of how religious practices may affect his players' performance? Is it wrong to drop a fasting footballer whose energy levels may be lower than his teammates? Should Mourinho contemplate that a player of faith may perform better in a period of self-enforced discipline? And can sport and religion ever be separated in a satisfactory way?

Let us know your thoughts below.

The strikes that have seen around 70,000 workers down tools at the 2010 World Cup stadium construction sites in South Africa have made news around the world.

With Bhekani Ngcobo, the negotiator for the body that represents many of the disgruntled labor force – the National Union of Miners (NUM) – suggesting that unless pay is increased the unrest could enter the "Guinness Book of Records" as the longest strike ever, storm clouds are seemingly gathering.

Of course, concerns regarding Africa's ability to host an international tournament of the size and scope of the World Cup have always been evident, ever since the "Rainbow Nation" were announced as hosts of the 19th edition back in 2004.

And the regular news of strife between workers and organizers plays well into an ongoing theme with many media outlets of trials and tribulations holding sway over triumph in the build-up to kick off. Do you agree? Add your comment below.

However, though the discontented workers could throw a major spanner in the building works, the recent news is in danger of overshadowing a growing optimism and confidence in a country that will invite the world's football fans to its shores come June 2010.

The recent Confederations Cup was deemed a success by Sepp Blatter, the president of world football's governing body FIFA, who gave the event a 7.5 out of 10 in terms of fulfilling the expectations laid down prior to the event. Blatter said in a press conference at the end of the tournament that his faith in awarding the finals to South Africa had been "more than justified."

It seems this feeling was reflected on the ground too. Editor of Sowetan Soccer magazine, Mo Allie, told CNN: "FIFA gave us a good mark because they were very happy with the turnout – and on average it worked out that 35,000 attended each game which was a better figure than when the event was held in Germany.

"Tickets were bought up by big sponsors and many of the matches finished late – but despite this people realized there was fantastic action at the ground if they went down to watch, and fans turned up.

"Football has always been a prominent sport in South Africa, especially with the big teams like Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates – but the great thing with the Confederations Cup was the mix of the crowds that attended, all ages and races, which is not something that is always found in other sports.

"The biggest change has been with the attitude towards the national team. Prior to the Confederations Cup there was widespread skepticism about how they would perform, but good performances against New Zealand, Spain and Brazil turned heads – they gave a good account of themselves and many people now believe Bafana Bafana have a fighting chance of getting past the group stages come the finals," Allie added.

"Transport and accommodation are still big logistical factors that need to be sorted. There is a park and ride system that did not work as well as it might, some drivers didn't know the way, buses weren't always on time. There were also many roadworks around the stadiums which led to a lot of delays, but in a way it was really good to have the Confederations Cup a year before the World Cup because it highlighted what shortcomings remain."

Such sentiments were echoed by the chief executive of the local organizing committee Danny Jordaan. Though it would be bizarre for a man in such a position to be anything other than optimistic, it is hard to argue that South Africa has successfully staged some major sporting events in recent months.

"In terms of scale and complexity, the World Cup is very different to the Confederations Cup and we are therefore already well advanced in planning for the extra demands. However, the success of the Confederations Cup is confirmation that we as a country can host major events. Look at the British Lions rugby tour and the Indian Premier League cricket tournament which we hosted successfully, and now also the FIFA Confederations Cup. It's a good boost for our country," Jordaan told a post-tournament press conference.

Undoubtedly, there are many challenges to be met before the World Cup party can start in earnest, but South Africa could yet prove many critics wrong.

MANCHESTER, England – As Manchester United near the end of another remarkable season, Alex Ferguson is in history-writing mood.

Not content with matching the record set by rivals Liverpool of winning the English league title 18 times, a trophy the Red Devils retained successfully in 2009 for the third season in a row, as well as taking the League Cup and the World Club Cup in the same campaign, United are now on the verge of a successful defense of the big one too - the European Cup.

Not that any weight of legacy was evident from the body language of Fergie's charges, as they trained at the club's plush Carrington training complex a week away from the final clash with Barcelona in Rome.

Despite the presence of at least 100 of the world's press in attendance the atmosphere was positively jovial and carefree, with only anxious cameramen concerned about their shots affecting the mood.

Top clubs are rarely easy to access for journalists but United's welcome embrace smacked of a club confident with its present state and rank of players. Cristiano Ronaldo is an awesome sight even in training, Wayne Rooney tricked and smiled his way around the pitch while Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes exude that thoroughbred class that has proved so valuable down the years.

Only Dimitar Berbatov failed to live up to expectations, or vice versa depending on your opinion of the Bulgarian. Slow, soporific and unable to hit a barn door with a banjo all day long he stuck out from the energetic ensemble as a lone loafer.

After training, with filming half complete, player after player then filed past the never ending row of microphones to patiently answer the same recycled questions for an avid gaggle of media bods eager to get their second hit of the day. For starved hacks used to writing essays from monosyllabic scraps, this was a feeding frenzy of unexpected proportions.

Bobby Charlton says it could be the best ever United squad assembled. This is hard to quantify, but on this showing and as someone who saw the same body language from the same players displayed before the semifinal thrashing of Arsenal in London earlier in the month, Barcelona should beware. Fergie has pen in hand ...