Woods Puts Golf Career on Hold
By SAM WALKER and REED ALBERGOTTI
Tiger Woods, the greatest golfer of his generation and one of the highest-earning athletes ever, said Friday he would take an indefinite break from professional golf to focus on his family.
The announcement came two weeks after a Nov. 27 car accident outside Mr. Woods's Florida home that touched off intense scrutiny of his personal life, centering on revelations of numerous extramarital affairs.
In a statement posted on his Web site late Friday, Mr. Woods, who has won 14 major championships, acknowledged for the first time that he had committed "infidelity," and said he was "deeply aware of the disappointment and hurt" his actions had caused his family. "I want to say again to everyone that I am profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness," he wrote. "It may not be possible to repair the damage I've done, but I want to do my best to try."
The golfer, who hasn't been seen in public since the early-morning car accident, asked for understanding from "my fans, the good people at my foundation, business partners, the PGA Tour, and my fellow competitors." He also requested privacy to help create a "safe haven" for his family.
In a separate statement posted on the Web site of the Tiger Woods Foundation, Mr. Woods said he is committed to the foundation's work "and I know my staff will continue these efforts during my absence."
Late Friday, one of Mr. Woods's sponsors, Accenture PLC, had removed the golfer's image from a page on its Web site where it had been as late as Thursday. It wasn't clear if the company had decided to terminate its endorsement deal with the golfer. An Accenture spokesman didn't return calls seeking comment.
Mr. Woods's agent, Mark Steinberg, said in a statement sent via email Friday that he stood by his friend's decision. He also reiterated Mr. Woods's privacy request. "The entirety of someone's life is more important than just a professional career," he said. Mr. Steinberg acknowledged there have been talks with Mr. Woods's sponsors about the situation. While he said "it would be both premature and inappropriate to comment on the status of specific business relationships," he said that whatever decisions the sponsors made about their relationships with Mr. Woods "we would fully understand and accept."
For the past three years, Mr. Woods has started his golf season in late January in San Diego at the Buick Invitational, now called The Century Club of San Diego Invitational. This year's tournament begins January 28. Mr. Woods was set to start the 2010 golf season just four major tournament titles shy of the record of 18 set by Jack Nicklaus. The year's first major is the Masters Tournament from April 8 to 11, where Mr. Woods has won four times.
If Mr. Woods decides to skip tournaments, his absence would be a serious blow to the sport of golf, which has relied on Mr. Woods's star power to drive television ratings and sell sponsorships. In 13-and-a-half seasons as a professional, he has won 71 times on the PGA Tour and collected $93 million of prize money. Since his debut, prize money on the tour has more than tripled, with weekly purses averaging more than $3 million. Along the way, Mr. Woods has captivated the sports world, becoming arguably the world's most recognizable athlete.
Ratings at golf tournaments regularly played by Mr. Woods dropped dramatically in 2008 when Mr. Woods was sidelined by a knee injury. The Nielsen Co. compared ratings in the final rounds of golf tournaments in 2008, when Mr. Woods was out, to the year prior. The average drop in ratings was 47%. The worst hit was the BMW Golf Championship, which saw ratings fall 65% in 2008, compared to the year prior, when Mr. Woods won the tournament.
Collectively, General Electric Co.'s NBC, CBS Corp.'s CBS, and Comcast Corp.'s the Golf Channel pay the PGA Tour $800 million a year to broadcast the organization's tournaments, with The Golf Channel providing much of the early round coverage. Tim Finchem, commissioner of the PGA Tour, said the tour supported Mr. Woods's decision. "His priorities are where they need to be, and we will continue to respect and honor his family's request for privacy," he said. "We look forward to Tiger's return to the PGA Tour when he determines the time is right for him."
NBC will pay the United States Golf Association about $15 million a year through 2014 for the rights to the men's, women's and senior U.S. Open championships, though most of the deal's value is tied up in the men's tournament, which Mr. Woods has won three times. CBS pays about $12 million for the rights to the PGA Championship in August. Walt Disney Co.'s ESPN recently agreed to pay $25 million a year for the rights to the British Open.
Spokesmen for the USGA, NBC Sports, CBS and ESPN declined to comment. A spokesman for The Golf Channel said "We understand and respect Tiger's decision."
Mr. Woods's major sponsors pay him about $90 million annually in sponsorship fees. Before Mr. Woods posted his statement Friday evening, representatives of Nike Inc., Procter & Gamble Co.'s Gillette, videogame maker Electronic Arts Inc. and PepsiCo Inc.'s Gatorade sports drink said their relationships with Mr. Woods hadn't changed. Jet-rental company NetJets said Monday that it continued to support Mr. Woods.
After the announcement, Nike, one of Mr. Woods's longstanding sponsors, said the golfer continued to have the company's "full support." EA said "the strategy for our Tiger Woods PGA TOUR business remains unchanged."
Watch maker Tag Heuer, an LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton unit, couldn't be reached for comment. A spokesman for AT&T Corp., said that in light of the recent news, "we support Tiger's decision, and our thoughts will be with him and his family. We are presently evaluating our ongoing relationship with him."
my wife calls me a yenta but i just love the salaciousness!! it is real life entertainment! 
... Where is that supreme confidence in this department that we have grown to know in everything else he does and says? 
i mean, if it came out that he had a torrid affair w/, say, a single woman, then i could kind of pass it over...but, what?! 12 and counting?! 13 maybe! this is crazy!!
