escapades became worldwide news, with the announcement of a Friday
briefing at PGA Tour headquarters to apologize for his infidelity.
Golf’s No. 1 attraction will take the podium at
at the TPC Sawgrass clubhouse, though his appearance could be very
short. Reports say Woods will make a statement and will not take
questions.
Attendance also will be limited to “a small group of
friends, colleagues and close associates,” according to a two-paragraph
statement sent via e-mail.
“While Tiger feels that what happened is
fundamentally a matter between he and his wife, he also recognizes that
he has hurt and let down a lot of other people who were close to him,”
the statement continued. “He also let down his fans. He wants to begin
the process of making amends and that’s what he’s going to discuss.”
Woods has not appeared publicly since late November,
when he crashed his SUV into a fire hydrant and a tree outside his
Isleworth driveway in an apparent hurried wee-hours departure from his
home the day after
Reports quickly surfaced that Woods had carried on
affairs with several women, ranging from a New York events planner to a
reality show contestant to a restaurant waitress to two porn stars.
Woods has made only two public statements since the accident, and nothing since a
“I want to say again to everyone that I am
profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness,” Woods wrote at the time.
“It may not be possible to repair the damage I’ve done, but I want to
do my best to try.”
Woods’ seclusion since then has been so deep that even Isleworth neighbor
Reports have stated that Woods recently completed six weeks of treatment for sex addiction at a rehabilitation clinic in
Woods also has lost lucrative endorsement deals with
Whether Woods will address his competitive return on
Friday remains unclear. His current hiatus has thus far affected only
two tournaments he typically plays — the Farmers Insurance Open in
Reports last week indicated Woods would make his return at the Tavistock Cup, the annual made-for-TV team event
pitting some of Isleworth’s top tour pros against those who make Lake
Nona their home base. No confirmation has been forthcoming from Woods’
camp or the sponsoring
The Tavistock Cup takes place early in the week of the PGA Tour’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, the event Palmer hosts at
Woods has won that event each of the past two years and six times
overall. However, no word has been forthcoming on Woods’ possible
participation there.
It’s presumed Woods, whose 14 major championships are second only to
still is seeking to return to peak form in time for the Masters in
mid-April. Woods has won four Masters titles, again second only to
Nicklaus.
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