Tiger Woods expected to issue apology Friday during first public appearance

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    ORLANDO, Fla.Tiger Woods is set to make his first public appearance since his extramarital
    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 11 a.m. EST on Friday
    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 Thanksgiving.

    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 Dec. 11 statement on his website announcing he would take an indefinite hiatus from golf.

    “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 Mark O’Meara — who served as a mentor during Woods’ early professional career — said last week his calls have gone unreturned.

    Reports have stated that Woods recently completed six weeks of treatment for sex addiction at a rehabilitation clinic in Mississippi, but the golfer’s camp has remained mum on that front.

    Woods also has lost lucrative endorsement deals with AT&T and Accenture and has seen his role diminished in affiliations with Gillette and Gatorade. According to Forbes magazine, Woods last year became the first athlete to cross the $1 billion threshold in total earnings.

    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 San Diego and this week’s WGC Match Play Championship outside Tucson, Ariz.

    Reports last week indicated Woods would make his return at the Tavistock Cup, the annual made-for-TV team event March 22-23
    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 Tavistock Group.

    The Tavistock Cup takes place early in the week of the PGA Tour’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, the event Palmer hosts at Bay Hill Club & Lodge.
    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 Jack Nicklaus,
    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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