PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Tiger
Woods is to return to therapy after he speaks publicly for the first
time about his infidelity, according to a letter from PGA Tour
commissioner Tim Finchem that was obtained by The Associated Press.
Finchem's letter to the PGA Tour
policy board and other officials explained why Woods chose Friday to
make his first public comments, which are to be televised live by the
major networks.
Woods' statement comes during the
Match Play Championship, sponsored by Accenture, the first company to
drop Woods as a pitchman.
"As we understand it, Tiger's therapy
called for a week's break at this time during which he has spent a few
days with his children and then will make his statement before
returning," Finchem said in a letter Thursday. "Accordingly, there was
very little flexibility in the date for the announcement."
Woods is to speak at 11 a.m. EST from
the clubhouse at TPC Sawgrass, home of the PGA Tour. It will be his
first time to speak publicly since his car accident Nov. 27 that sparked
sordid revelations of extramarital affairs.
The letter shed no light on whether
Woods plans to return to the tour anytime soon.
Ernie Els was among players who were
upset to learn that Woods had chosen the week of a World Golf
Championship for a public appearance that was sure to take attention
away from the tournament. "It's selfish," Els told Golfweek magazine.
Finchem told reporters in Marana,
Ariz., earlier this week that he didn't think Woods' appearance would
undermine Accenture, and that Woods' handlers "have their own reasons
for their schedule."
In the letter, he said the tour
discussed the situation with Accenture and "they understand that the PGA
Tour was not involved in determining the timing of the statement."
Finchem also noted that Woods' comments would be over well before
television coverage of the third round from Dove Mountain.
The PGA Tour made available its
sprawling, Mediterranean-styled clubhouse for the announcement, and is
helping set up adjacent ballrooms at the nearby Sawgrass Marriott for
media, where they can watch Woods on closed-circuit TV.
Finchem said in the letter that
Woods' management asked for the facilities, and "we agreed as we would
for any member of the PGA Tour."
No other PGA Tour player could
command this kind of attention, though.
Woods is one of the most recognized
athletes in the world. Television ratings double when he is in
contention, which has happened a lot on his way to winning 71 times on
the PGA Tour and 14 majors, four short of the record held by Jack
Nicklaus.
No other athlete had such a
spectacular fall, either. Accenture and AT&T have ended their
endorsement contracts with him, and Woods has become the butt of jokes
everywhere from late shows to Disney performances.
In the hours leading up to his
appearance, it already was shaping up as a major event.
Seven satellite trucks already had
set up shop in the Marriott parking lot. The last time it had this kind
of activity was five years ago for media day at the Super Bowl between
the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles.
Tight security restricted access on
the road that leads past PGA Tour headquarters to the TPC Sawgrass
clubhouse, where Woods has a locker in a special room reserved for past
winners of The Players Championship.
Woods is to speak in the Sunset Room
on the second floor to a small group of "friends, colleagues and close
associates," along with limited media.
"This is not a press conference,"
Mark Steinberg, Woods' agent, said on Wednesday.
Three wire services — the AP, Reuters
and Bloomberg — were invited. The Golf Writers Association of America
was offered a pool of three reporters, negotiated for six reporters,
then its board of directors voted overwhelmingly not to participate.
"I cannot stress how strongly our
board felt that this should be open to all media and also for the
opportunity to question Woods," said Vartan Kupelian, president of the
950-member group. "The position, simply put, is all or none. This is a
major story of international scope. To limit the ability of journalists
to attend, listen, see and question Woods goes against the grain of
everything we believe."
The public hasn't had a clean look at
Woods' face since photos Wednesday of him jogging in his neighborhood
outside Orlando.
More pool photos were released on
Thursday showing him hitting balls on the practice range; Woods never
allowed his picture taken on the range last year when returning from
knee surgery.
Far more compelling, however, will be
the sound of his voice. Woods has not been heard in the 78 days since a
magazine released a voicemail he allegedly left one of the women to
whom he has been romantically linked, warning that Woods' wife might be
calling.
Instead of going on Oprah or
another national television show to break the ice, Woods essentially
will be speaking to the lone camera allowed in the room. The event will
be televised via satellite.
Woods has always been about control,
even in better times. He refused to go into the media center before a
PGA Tour event if he was not the defending champion. If he agreed to a
10-minute interview to pitch a product he endorses, it was common for a
company employee to be in the room making sure it didn't go one second
beyond that.
But having not heard from Woods in
three months — except for three statements on his Web site — this event
has taken on a life of its own.
Conversation raged online, as many
took glee in speculating on what Woods will say Friday.
One of the most popular threads on
Twitter carried the tag "tigershouldsay." Suggestions were predominantly
sarcastic, such as: "At least I didn't use steroids."
A British bookmaker has set odds at
4-to-7 that Woods' wife, Elin, will be with him. William Hill didn't
stop there, however. It offers 8-to-1 odds that Woods will announce he
is getting a divorce, 12-to-1 odds that his wife is pregnant and
100-to-1 odds that he is retiring.