374 lines
12 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
374 lines
12 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
sport
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golf
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tigerwoods
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7272675
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-----
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# Tiger Woods statement in full
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## Read the full text of Tiger Woods's statement, the world No 1 golfer's
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first public words since his repeated marital infidelities were exposed.
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400
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227
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TelegraphPlayer-7272834
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[Link to this video][1]
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5:25PM GMT 19 Feb 2010
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[Comments][2]
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Good morning, and thank you for joining me. Many of you in this room are my
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friends. Many of you in this room know me. Many of you have cheered for me or
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you've worked with me or you've supported me.
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Now every one of you has good reason to be critical of me. I want to say to
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each of you, simply and directly, I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and
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selfish behavior I engaged in.
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I know people want to find out how I could be so selfish and so foolish.
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People want to know how I could have done these things to my wife, Elin, and
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to my children. And while I have always tried to be a private person, there
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are some things I want to say.
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Elin and I have started the process of discussing the damage caused by my
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behavior. As Elin pointed out to me, my real apology to her will not come in
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the form of words; it will come from my behavior over time. We have a lot to
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discuss; however, what we say to each other will remain between the two of us.
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I am also aware of the pain my behavior has caused to those of you in this
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room. I have let you down, and I have let down my fans. For many of you,
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especially my friends, my behavior has been a personal disappointment. To
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those of you who work for me, I have let you down personally and
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professionally. My behavior has caused considerable worry to my business
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partners.
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## Related Articles
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* [Tiger Woods' televised apology begs the question of sincerity][3]
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20 Feb 2010
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* [Tiger Woods scandal][4]
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19 Feb 2010
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* [Woods back in the swing of things][5]
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19 Feb 2010
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* [Tiger Woods to go back into therapy][6]
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19 Feb 2010
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* [Tiger Woods can be a 'wonderful playboy'][7]
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19 Feb 2010
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* [Woods branded 'selfish' as players unite in anger][8]
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18 Feb 2010
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To everyone involved in my foundation, including my staff, board of directors,
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sponsors and most importantly, the young students we reach, our work is more
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important than ever. Thirteen years ago, my dad and I envisioned helping young
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people achieve their dreams through education. This work remains unchanged and
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will continue to grow. From the Learning Center students in Southern
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California to the Earl Woods scholars in Washington, D.C., millions of kids
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have changed their lives, and I am dedicated to making sure that continues.
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But still, I know I have bitterly disappointed all of you. I have made you
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question who I am and how I could have done the things I did. I am embarrassed
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that I have put you in this position.
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For all that I have done, I am so sorry.
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I have a lot to atone for, but there is one issue I really want to discuss.
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Some people have speculated that Elin somehow hurt or attacked me on
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Thanksgiving night. It angers me that people would fabricate a story like
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that. Elin never hit me that night or any other night. There has never been an
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episode of domestic violence in our marriage, ever. Elin has shown enormous
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grace and poise throughout this ordeal. Elin deserves praise, not blame.
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The issue involved here was my repeated irresponsible behavior. I was
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unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated. What I did is not acceptable, and I am
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the only person to blame.
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I stopped living by the core values that I was taught to believe in. I knew my
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actions were wrong, but I convinced myself that normal rules didn't apply. I
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never thought about who I was hurting. Instead, I thought only about myself. I
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ran straight through the boundaries that a married couple should live by. I
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thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to. I felt that I had worked
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hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I
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felt I was entitled. Thanks to money and fame, I didn't have to go far to find
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them.
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I was wrong. I was foolish. I don't get to play by different rules. The same
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boundaries that apply to everyone apply to me. I brought this shame on myself.
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I hurt my wife, my kids, my mother, my wife's family, my friends, my
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foundation and kids all around the world who admired me.
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I've had a lot of time to think about what I've done. My failures have made me
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look at myself in a way I never wanted to before. It's now up to me to make
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amends and that starts by never repeating the mistakes I've made. It's up to
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me to start living a life of integrity.
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I once heard, and I believe it's true, it's not what you achieve in life that
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matters; it's what you overcome. Achievements on the golf course are only part
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of setting an example. Character and decency are what really count.
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Parents used to point to me as a role model for their kids. I owe all those
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families a special apology. I want to say to them that I am truly sorry.
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It's hard to admit that I need help, but I do. For 45 days from the end of
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December to early February, I was in inpatient therapy receiving guidance for
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the issues I'm facing. I have a long way to go. But I've taken my first steps
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in the right direction.
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As I proceed, I understand people have questions. I understand the press wants
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to ask me for the details and the times I was unfaithful. I understand people
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want to know whether Elin and I will remain together. Please know that as far
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as I'm concerned, every one of these questions and answers is a matter between
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Elin and me. These are issues between a husband and a wife.
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Some people have made up things that never happened. They said I used
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performance-enhancing drugs. This is completely and utterly false. Some have
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written things about my family. Despite the damage I have done, I still
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believe it is right to shield my family from the public spotlight. They did
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not do these things; I did.
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I have always tried to maintain a private space for my wife and children. They
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have been kept separate from my sponsors, my commercial endorsements. When my
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children were born, we only released photographs so that the paparazzi could
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not chase them. However, my behavior doesn't make it right for the media to
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follow my two-and-a-half-year-old daughter to school and report the school's
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location. They staked out my wife and they pursued my mom. Whatever my
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wrongdoings, for the sake of my family, please leave my wife and kids alone.
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I recognize I have brought this on myself, and I know above all I am the one
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who needs to change. I owe it to my family to become a better person. I owe it
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to those closest to me to become a better man. That's where my focus will be.
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I have a lot of work to do, and I intend to dedicate myself to doing it. Part
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of following this path for me is Buddhism, which my mother taught me at a
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young age. People probably don't realize it, but I was raised a Buddhist, and
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I actively practiced my faith from childhood until I drifted away from it in
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recent years. Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves
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causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop
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following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously, I lost track of
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what I was taught.
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As I move forward, I will continue to receive help because I've learned that's
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how people really do change. Starting tomorrow, I will leave for more
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treatment and more therapy. I would like to thank my friends at Accenture and
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the players in the field this week for understanding why I'm making these
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remarks today.
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In therapy, I've learned the importance of looking at my spiritual life and
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keeping in balance with my professional life. I need to regain my balance and
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be centered so I can save the things that are most important to me -- my
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marriage and my children.
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That also means relying on others for help. I've learned to seek support from
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my peers in therapy, and I hope someday to return that support to others who
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are seeking help. I do plan to return to golf one day, I just don't know when
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that day will be.
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I don't rule out that it will be this year. When I do return, I need to make
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my behavior more respectful of the game. In recent weeks, I have received many
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thousands of e-mails, letters and phone calls from people expressing good
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wishes. To everyone who has reached out to me and my family, thank you. Your
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encouragement means the world to Elin and me.
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I want to thank the PGA Tour, Commissioner Finchem and the players for their
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patience and understanding while I work on my private life. I look forward to
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seeing my fellow players on the course.
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Finally, there are many people in this room, and there are many people at home
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who believed in me. Today, I want to ask for your help. I ask you to find room
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in your heart to one day believe in me again.
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Thank you.
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[X][9] Share & bookmark
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][10]
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* Share: [Share][9] [ ][11] [ ][12]
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[Tweet][13]
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/golf/tigerwoods/7272675/Tiger-Woods-
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statement-in-full.html
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Telegraph
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## [Tiger Woods][14]
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* ### [Major News »][15]
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* ### [Sport »][16]
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* ### [Golf »][17]
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* ### [US Tour »][18]
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In sport
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[![Health check: the troubled times of Tiger Woods][19] ][20]
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### [Health check: Tiger Woods][20]
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[![Tiger Woods][21] ][22]
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### [Tiger on prowl in China][22]
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[![][23] ][24]
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### [Woods dropped from video game][24]
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[X][9] Share & bookmark
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Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][10]
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Share:
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* [ ][9]
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* [ ][11]
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* [ ][12]
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* [Tweet][13]
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* telegraphuk
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Please enable JavaScript to view the [comments powered by Disqus.][25] [blog
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comments powered by Disqus][26]
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Advertisement
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## GOLF HIGHLIGHTS
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sponsored features
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Loading
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## TIGER WOODS ON THE WEB
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### [Tiger Woods links][14]
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* [Tiger Woods official website][27]
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* [Tiger Woods PGA Tour profile][27]
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* [Tiger Woods Foundation][28]
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* [Tiger Woods Learning Center][29]
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Advertisement
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Classified Advertising
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* [UK Breaks][30]
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* [Shopping][31]
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* [Culture][32]
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Loading
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var puffs_8120654 = new Array();
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[1]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/sportvideo/7272834/Watch-Tiger-Woods-
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apology-in-full.html
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[2]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/golf/tigerwoods/7272675/Tiger-Woods-
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statement-in-full.html#disqus_thread
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[3]: /sport/golf/tigerwoods/7273156/Tiger-Woods-his-televised-apology-begs-
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the-question-of-sincerity.html
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[4]: /sport/picturegalleries/7270745/Tiger-Woods-scandal-in-pictures.html
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[5]: /sport/picturegalleries/7269515/Tiger-Woods-back-in-the-swing-of-
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things.html
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[6]: /sport/golf/tigerwoods/7271740/Tiger-Woods-to-go-straight-back-into-
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therapy-after-statement.html
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[7]: /sport/golf/tigerwoods/7271475/Tiger-Woods-can-be-a-wonderful-playboy-
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says-Donald-Trump.html
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[8]: /sport/golf/tigerwoods/7263994/Tiger-Woods-selfish-with-timing-of-
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breaking-public-silence-says-Ernie-Els.html
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[9]: #
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[10]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/4590190/Share-this-
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article-What-are-these.html
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[11]: mailto:?subject=A Telegraph reader thought you would be interested in
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this article&body=Depending on your email program, you may be able to click on
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the link in the email. Alternatively, you may have to open a web browser, such
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as Firefox or Internet Explorer, and copy the link over into the address bar.
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%0A%0Ahttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/golf/tigerwoods/7272675/Tiger-Woods-
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statement-in-full.html %0A%0AFor the best content online, visit
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www.telegraph.co.uk
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[12]: javascript:print()
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[13]: http://twitter.com/share?via=Telegraph
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[14]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/golf/tigerwoods/
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[15]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/majornews/
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[16]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/
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[17]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/golf/
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[18]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/golf/ustour/
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[19]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01894/woods_1894674g.jpg
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[20]: /sport/golf/tigerwoods/8511316/Health-check-the-troubled-times-of-
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Tiger-Woods.html
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[21]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01877/Woods_1877424g.jpg
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[22]: /sport/golf/8464145/Tiger-Woods-finds-China-is-blossoming-with-young-
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talent.html
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[23]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01798/tiger_1798447g.jpg
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[24]: /sport/golf/tigerwoods/8245118/Tiger-Woods-dropped-from-own-video-
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game-cover.html
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[25]: http://disqus.com/?ref_noscript=telegraphuk
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[26]: http://disqus.com
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[27]: http://www.tigerwoods.com/
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[28]: http://www.tigerwoodsfoundation.org/
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[29]: http://www.twlc.org/index.html
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[30]: #configurableTab_8120616
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[31]: #configurableTab_8120654
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[32]: #configurableTab_8120641
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