Tiger back for Masters? InTrade players bet on it

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Financial traders are betting there is a better than even chance that golfer Tiger Woods, embroiled in an adultery scandal, will play in a PGA Tour event before the end of April, according to online market InTrade.

InTrade users seem to be investing in the belief for a return that coincides with the Masters tournament in Augusta, Georgia, scheduled for April 8-11.

Woods, who is taking an indefinite break from professional golf, has been in hiding since admitting in December that he had cheated on his wife.

The Dublin, Ireland-based InTrade -- which lists contracts on such topics as U.S. troop levels in Iraq, Sarah Palin's chance of being named the Republican presidential nominee in 2012 and whether someone will be charged with the unlawful killing of pop star Michael Jackson -- added the Tiger contracts at the request of members.

InTrade accepts trades on the probability of events. Its markets are priced from zero to 100, with zero meaning investors see no chance an event will occur and 100 meaning it already has happened.

"It's a hugely important subject, particularly for people like Nike and Accenture who may have had sponsorship deals with him," InTrade Chief Executive John Delaney said. "This is a very big economic issue."

Sponsors Nike and video game publisher Electronic Arts have stuck by Woods. But Accenture and AT&T dropped him as their pitch man after he became engulfed in a sex scandal late last year.

Woods, believed to be the world's wealthiest athlete, was estimated to earn about $100 million a year in endorsement deals before his troubles.

Pro golfers and analysts who follow the PGA Tour have said the sport will suffer from lower TV ratings until the world's No. 1 golfer returns.

Traders do not seem to agree with speculation that Woods may return to golf in March at either WGC-CA Championship in Miami on March 11-14 or the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando on March 25-28.

Instead, they seem to be focusing on the Masters, which Woods has won four times.

(Reporting by Ben Klayman, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)