Woods taking break from golf, admits infidelity

“His priorities are where they need to be, and we will continue to respect and honor his family's request for privacy,” Finchem said.

“We look forward to Tiger's return to the PGA Tour when he determines the time is right for him,” he added.

It was the early hour and circumstances of the Nov. 27 car accident and Woods' refusal to answer police questions, followed by reports he had argued with his wife that night, which triggered worldwide speculation about his personal life.

Woods suffered facial cuts and bruises in the one-car accident, in which he hit a water hydrant and a tree.

The Florida Highway Patrol has closed its investigation into Woods' accident after issuing a ticket to him for careless driving and saying no criminal charges would be brought.

His Swedish wife, Elin Nordegren, told police she pulled him from the crashed car after using a golf club to smash a window. Woods has paid his US$164 traffic fine.

Parade of Alleged Mistreses

As the scandal over his private life unraveled, more and more U.S. and British tabloid newspapers and media websites published comments from and photos of a parade of between eight to 12 women, including cocktail waitresses and porn stars, who claimed relationships with Woods.

The media scrutiny prompted Woods to seek and obtain a British court order banning publication in Britain of any photos or video showing him nude or having sex.

A letter from the lawyers accompanying the injunction contains a statement that “this Order is not to be taken as an admission that any such photographs exist.”

Some media outlets have speculated Woods and his family may try to escape the glare of public attention by going on a cruise in his luxury motor yacht, or moving to Sweden, his wife's home country.

But some public relations experts predicted Woods may find it difficult to deflect the media attention, despite his announcement on Friday.

“What he wants to do is make the story go away,” Howard Bragman of public relations agency Fifteen Minutes told CNN.

“It may be a good life strategy, it may save his marriage ... (but) there is no place he can go to get away from this,” Bragman said.

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