The two questions I wanted Tiger Woods to answer during his highly-anticipated 13 ½ minutes of shame were: (1) Has Elin, his wife, agreed to stay in the marriage? (2) When will you return to golf?

Woods stopped short of providing definitive answers to those questions Friday during his no-questions-please soliloquy at Florida’s TPC Sawgrass, home of the PGA. But he raised other questions that the public wants answered about his scandal-driven, career-damaging accident last November.

The most important of all is two-pronged: if Elin didn’t smack you around with a nine-iron, what caused the accident? Why do you think you can tell us what didn’t happen, and not tell us what did happen? And if you now understand that your fame and fortune shouldn’t exempt you from following the same rules and regulations as regular folks, than why not deliver your mea culpa before an audience that included working press, asking questions? If you think a question is out of bounds, say so and move on. But don’t place yourself above everyone else by skirting the rules. A heart-felt apology can not be effective if delivered in a tone of arrogance.

I’m among the millions who can’t wait to see Tiger back on the prowl on the world’s golf courses. I, too, want him to claim his title as the world’s greatest golfer by surpassing Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major titles. But I also want him to deal with his reality, face the music, not as a privileged man, but as a principled man, one who truly understands what he must do to regain his footing as an icon and in his personal life.