Tiger Woods caused a minor stir Tuesday when he pulled out his cell phone during a practice round at Augusta.

Not only was the image of Woods, iPhone in hand, a visible reminder of the dozens of racy texts he allegedly sent his mistresses that were leaked online, it may have been against the rules.

However, the golf superstar was only giving a friend a hand, by filming a friend's putt.

"He was helping me with my putting," Mark O'Meara, another former Masters champion, said. "I had a loop in my putting stroke. He wanted to film my putting stroke."

Augusta National confirmed the use of the phone for filming was not a problem.

"We ask players not to use their cellphones," club spokesman Steve Ethun said. "We would make exceptions if players were using any kind of recording device during a practice round."

Woods will make his return on Thursday at 1:42 p.m. ET when he tees off with K.J. Choi of South Korea and American Matt Kuchar.

Woods spent about 40 minutes talking to a group of sports journalists in Georgia Monday, months after a car crash at his Florida home preceded revelations that he had engaged in multiple affairs behind the back of his wife, Elin Nordegren. Since then, the 34-year-old golfing champion has sought treatment for unspecified issues, stepped away from the spotlight and taken a months-long hiatus from the professional golf circuit.

When speaking to reporters on Monday, Woods acknowledged that his actions had hurt the people closest to him and his championship-laden resume could not bail him out of his personal problems.

"Unfortunately what I've done over the past few years has been just terrible to my family and the fact I won golf tournaments I think is irrelevant," Woods said.

"It's the pain, the damage that I've caused. My wife, my mom, my wife's family, my kids. You know, going forward I'm going to have to explain all this to them, and that's my responsibility. I did it, and I take full responsibility for it."

TSN golf analyst Bob Weeks said that while Woods was more forthcoming with the press than expected, he was clear about the topics he was not comfortable talking about -- namely his family and the way the sex scandal had impacted his marriage.

"I thought he answered a lot more than I expected," Weeks said, speaking to CTV's Canada AM from Augusta.

"But when it came to his personal life, when it came to that relationship with his wife, obviously that's now taboo, that's off-limits to reporters. He didn't say anything about it."

Woods did confirm that his wife will not be attending his appearance at the Masters, which kicks off later this week.

John Sweeney, a director of sports communication at the University of North Carolina's School of Journalism and Mass Communication, said the Monday press session would have little impact on Woods' marketability, whether good or bad.

"He's doing some proper things to repair an incredibly damaged legacy, but it's going to take a couple of years here," Sweeney said.

The world's best golfer previously addressed the scandal surrounding his life on two previous occasions, prior to Monday's press conference: At a private press conference he held in February and when he granted a pair of five-minute TV interviews the following month.

Woods, who has typically been guarded in his remarks to the press, did reveal some new information to the press about his life off of the golf green on Monday.

He said that he had been prescribed Vicodin after injuring his right leg in December 2008 and began taking Ambien to help him sleep after the death of his father in May 2006. Woods denied ever taking "any illegal drug."

Woods also confirmed that he received "blood spinning" treatment from Tony Gallea, a Toronto physician who has been accused of bringing HGH and other substances into the United States. He said he would co-operate with authorities if asked to do so, "but as of right now, they have not asked for my time."

Weeks said that it seemed unlikely that Woods would get himself into hot water for admitting that he sought legitimate treatment from Gallea, a doctor who has treated other top athletes, including sprinter Donovan Bailey and figure skater Patrick Chan.

"The only side effect on that one, I suppose, is whether Gallea is actually licensed to practice in Florida, which we believe he is not. So, that may be a problem, but it is not Tiger Woods' problem," Weeks said.

"So, I think in that situation, Tiger Woods, while it was a little controversial, did everything above the board."

On Thursday, Woods is due to tee off at the Masters, a tournament he has won on four previous occasions, as part of a stellar career that has seen him bag 82 victories and 14 majors. He trails only Jack Niklaus, who won 18 majors over his own career.

At a minimum, his presence in Augusta will keep eyes glued on what is happening at the Masters, CTV's Washington Bureau Chief, Paul Workman, said Tuesday.

"The fact that he's at this tournament means that the TV audience is probably going to be quite huge when he tees off on Thursday and through the weekend," Workman told Canada AM from Augusta.

"That's very important to the golf game, which has had a lot of difficulties over the last while. When Tiger Woods is not playing, golf hurts," Workman said.

"He's now back, he is the greatest player in the world -- that's what everybody agrees. He is top notch, he's back, the golf world is very happy about that."

With files from The Associated Press