The chairman of the Augusta National, Billy Payne, has launched a stinging attack on Tiger Woods ahead of the first round of the Masters.

Woods is returning to the game after a lengthy absence, having taken time off to deal with off-course problems caused by him having affairs with several women in recent times.

Payne seemed to show little sympathy as he told reporters at the traditional pre-tournament press conference: "We are not unaware of the significance of this week to a very special player, a man who in a brief 13 years clearly and emphatically proclaimed and proved his game to be worthy of the likes of Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer.

"As he ascended in our rankings of the world's great golfers he became an example to our kids that success is directly attributable to hard work and effort.

"But, as he now says himself, he forgot in the process to remember that with fame and fortune comes responsibility, not invisibility.

"It is not simply the degree of his conduct that is so egregious here. It is the fact that he disappointed all of us and, more importantly, our kids and our grandkids.

"Our hero did not live up to the expectations of the role model we saw for our children."