Tiger Woods made his return to golf after a five-month absence from the sport that he has dominated for the past decade. He spent his scandal-plagued, rumor-filled sabbatical with his family, attending counseling sessions and rediscovering his roots in Buddhism.

Last Monday, in his first official press conference since he crashed into a fire hydrant five months ago, Woods said he "meditates religiously again" as he used to with his mother. He said his return to his faith would keep him "more centered, more balanced."

Woods seemed confident that his return to Buddhist practice would help him in every phase of his life, from a reconciliation with his wife to his play on the golf course. He said he must be more respectful and calm in both his good and bad moments. He vowed to "tone down my negative outbursts and ... my positive outbursts."

Before the tournament, ESPN Columnist Rick Reilly speculated that Woods' overbearing drive is what made him the world's best golfer. Then Reilly wondered whether Woods' more Buddhist attitude toward the game would hinder his performance on the golf course.

It was a theme that played throughout news media coverage of the Masters weekend. After his stellar play on the first day the media labeled Woods calm by his standards, with only a few outbursts. But as the weekend wore on and his play wavered, many wondered where this new Tiger was indeed committed to his new attitude, as he dropped clubs and was caught on camera using some choice language.

Some on sports talk-radio berated Woods for his outbursts and suggested that his claim of returning to Buddhism was just for show. During Woods' early Sunday struggles CBS commentators consistently brought up his demeanor and questioned whether his religious vow was helping him at all.

It is interesting that Woods' faith has been brought up so often since the scandal broke. After Brit Hume set the media world abuzz with his statement that Tiger should convert to Christianity, Woods' faith has been an ongoing question mark for reporters and bloggers alike.

But was Kobe Bryant's religion so closely scrutinized before, during or after his alleged rape case? Politicians caught on the wrong side of a sex scandal often ask for forgiveness from Christ, and the country quickly moves on to juicier issues.

When South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford first apologized for his extramarital affair, he suffered plentiful accusations about the contradictory nature of his religious beliefs and his actions. But his religious beliefs were soon forgotten as media consumers became more concerned about the taxpayer money he spent. His divorce from his wife Jenny was finalized last month, but with little mention of any religious irony.  

Maybe the steady interest in Woods' Buddhism is simply a consequence of his prominence as a figure in American sports culture. But more likely it is because, unlike Sanford, Woods' religion is seen as foreign, mysterious or bizarre.

But therein lies the issue. In a heavily Christian nation, the majority of people understand what it means to believe in Christ. When Christians mess up they generally apologize, ask for forgiveness and begin patching together their life. But  when the face of the sports world, promoter of everything exceptional, Mr. Nike himself, talks about how his Buddhist roots will help him overcome, the comparatively conservative world of American sports culture does its best Tim Allen "huh?" grunt.

Some pranksters even turned Woods' return to his faith into a joke, flying several banners over the opening day of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, one reading, "Tiger: Did you mean Bootyism?"

Could you imagine the outrage if Woods was Christian and a banner was flown mocking Christ?

A commentator for Fox News remarked that Woods' invoking of Buddhism during his first public apology suggested that "religion had replaced patriotism as the last refuge of a scoundrel."

This is inconsistent with how the news media generally treat religion. If Woods had said he was a born-again Christian, his faith wouldn't likely be the focus of criticism during his on-course outbursts. The same should hold true for his beliefs as a Buddhist.

Kevin Patra is an M.A. candidate in online journalism at USC Annenberg. He is co-founder of the sports commentary website thesportsunion.com