Reuters - Mon, 05 Apr 22:00:00 2010
Tiger Woods took full responsibility for the marital infidelities which led to his startling fall from grace and admitted he had lied and deceived a lot of people.
"I lied to a lot of people, deceived a lot of people," the American world number one, who sported a goatee and wore a gray, yellow, pink and white-striped shirt and black trousers, told a packed news conference.
"I fooled myself as well. The full magnitude of it, it's pretty brutal."
Speaking before his comeback to competition at the Masters on Thursday, Woods said his Swedish wife Elin would not be attending the tournament.
He also pledged to give the game more respect in the future and said he would to try to tone down his occasional bad language and emotional outbursts out on the course.
Woods has not played professional golf since winning the Australian Masters on November 15 following revelations that he had had a string of extra-marital affairs.
"Coming into today I didn't know what to expect with regards to the reception," Woods said. "I tell you what the galleries couldn't have been nicer.
"The encouragement, it blew me away," added Woods who made noticeable efforts to engage with the fans. "The people here over the years are extremely respectful but today was something that touched my heart pretty good."
Woods played 18 holes in practice with 1992 Masters champion Fred Couples earlier in the day, and the pair were joined for the last six holes by 2003 US Open champion Jim Furyk.
Asked about his occasional temperamental on-course behaviour, he replied: "I'm going to try to not to get as hot, but that means I won't be as exuberant.
"I made a decision to try and tone down my negative outbursts and be more respectful of the game."
The 14-times Major champion also promised to focus much more on his life away from the course.
"It's not how much you win championships, it's how you live your life," he said. "I need to be a better man going forward than I've been before.
"If I win major championships along the way, so be it, but I want to help people along the way."
Woods spoke for 35 minutes in his first news conference since his private life unravelled at the end of last year.
The 34-year-old made a carefully managed public appearance with family and friends at US PGA Tour headquarters on Februray 19, saying he was sorry for cheating on his wife and that he was undergoing therapy.
He finally took questions from the media in two five-minute interviews with the Golf Channel and ESPN last month.
The scandal around Woods erupted after he crashed his car outside his Florida home in the middle of the night in November, a bizarre incident that triggered a storm of media speculation over his private life.
The minor accident led to a parade of women alleging affairs with the golfer.
The 2010 Masters starts on Thursday.
Comment 74 - 93 of 93
If I'd have been Tiger Woods I'd have issued a short statement to the press :-
"My private life is just that ... private. Now let's talk about golf."
Go on Shagger make it number 15
He denies taking drugs from the Canadian who he was involved with and is a known supplier of drugs to athletes. He admits he has lied and deceived!
I know which statement I believe!
No 90, gburton355: people like you NEVER progress in anything you do. as far as you are concerned, the best people ever in sports would be Babe Ruth, Vince Lombardi, Red Auerbach, Joe Loius, Wayne Gretzsky, and people like that simply because they were the great ones when YOU were growing up. So Niklaus beat Player, Palmer, Watson, Trevino and co, do you for one second assume that Woods would not dominate the same field? ....Yeah right, its a subjective argument and cannot be substantiated. Well, you are entitled to your biased, myopic opinion, but remember that your type are what make present players like Woods and Federer strive to dominate their rivals by winning record number of trophies, simply because people like you live in the past and need RECORDS to be convinced. Who cares about manners and courtesy? Do you think millions of people worldwide pay huge subscriptions and stay up at odd hours to watch courtesy and manners? We stay up to watch these guys win trophies...simple.
Most people dont care what Tiger Woods has done it is up to himself and his wife. what a fuss.!!!!! just go and play golf. His wife should go home and divoce him, and get all the money she can get off him, because that is what she wanted in the first place
will this idiot ever stop apologising and whining like a big spoilt child, makes me sick.
no one gives a @#$% mate...just go play some golf ffs.
GREAT TO HAVE YOU BACK TIGER!!!!!!!!!!
Here is one person hoping you do win th Masters this week
Good Luck!!!
god get over it sick of listening to you moaning on move on or shut up
Jude E 'sin of slavery on their heads' not me mate.
Because he's black.....what rot.
It's because people are sick and tired of these so called celebs being hypocrites. For goodness sake all he does is hit a ball round a golf course, and no i don't suppose i could do what he does but then i've never tried, but then again he probably is not as skilled at some of the things i can do.
Do we really care what Mr Woods or any other high paid sports person does? well i don't.
who cares? not bothering me!
I respect Tiger. he is showing a lot of remorse; yeah mainly becoz he got caught out. But he has figured out just how things dont look so good for him anymore which to me is admirable. so much for living a charmed life hey, but...do remember guys, 'let he without sin cast the first stone'. There is so much that happens under these roofs were we live and all becoz we aint famous enough our @#$% doesnt go popping off on Tv or gets scripted in these tabloids......consider yourselves very lucky indeed that u may scribe about another man and pass judgement on his personal life which honestly we know very little of, infact we only know what we have heard and seen on TV and in tabloids which really is shameful. As for me, i have learned to believe nothing of what i hear or read and only 50% of what i see.
Go Tiger!
He should have finished his apology with, " Oh! Now I've done the apology thing please can I have my sponsorship deals back." There's nothing like hitting a man in his wallet to apparantly reduce his arrogance and get a staged apology.
Infidelity shouldn't be a crime depending from what side you view it. In certain cultures one could get married to more than one wife or husband while in others not therefore, for this is unofficial let's not turn to over blow the flame bcse those on the other side may look at us as kidding.Now we have issue that we need to completely condemeed because our children shouldn't copy like carring knves,Guns and all other dangerous weapon that can cuase Dead.The press always turn blind eyes or what is bringing us more division in the socisal fabric like racism and so on bcse there, the powers that be has not much interest.If they claim that is for our little once not to copy how many of them would understand infility as compered to racial manouvers and killings etc? from Francisbn@ekem in luton
He made a mistake, got caught...but the only people that should be listening to all of this should be his family & friends! I think the media & everybody else should leave them alone to sort out, I've had enough of his personal life...I now want to watch the golf!!
What did he do that was so wrong?
If he was a Frenchman or Italian or for that matter any European it's a personal matter. The yanks, much as I have the highest respect for them, are too highly strung about such things. So what? He's not a rapist or child molester. All his conquests were more than willing participants and he did n't abandon his wife. Whose to say that she is easy to live with' as another point.
There is some real rubbish on here, as follows Tiger Woods is a golfer to the public he owes no more or less than playing golf and being polite. His private life are his and his wifes issues, the story is old now and people have had a pound of flesh so lets move on. As for carrying the responsibilities of slavery what is this utter cr@p, I carry no responsibility for slavery how could I, I am 44 years old there has been no slavery in the worlds of America or Europe in my lifetime. So unless you carry the responsibilities of black children robbing and mugging in the ghetto or Somalian pirates kidnapping and murdering or Mugabee killing and butchering inocent people, then just keep your racist clap trap to yourself. Racism works all ways to all races creeds and colours of people and until we all rise away from the excuses of and for it we will never escape its shadow.
The only reason is sorry and ashamed is because he got caught....and funnily enough hes now a sex addict!! now come on.....how stupid does he think we are!
just change and thats it...people like you deserve to be punished by God you are abusing...you should go down and be poor so that you will know how the poor people sacrificed a lot and you are so rich ,very blessed but you never behaved God will punish those wicked people...
I have to agree with Carl C , as i saw woods first hand at the 97 ryder cup at valderama for 5 days. he was rude , arrogant, and his attitude was that of a @#$%t rather than a golfer. Even his caddie then who was Fluff Cowan, was a total D@head.
Compared to couples, lehman,love and justin leonard who chatted politely with the european fans, had photos and joked with the "enemy". i am not bothered if he wins more majors or not, in my eyes he will NEVER be in the same league as Nicklaus, why because Nicklaus won his majors beating legends of the game, like Palmer,player,watson, trevino, floyd, miller, Seve,and even Faldo.
What a W'nker
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