Tiger nervous about reception

Tiger Woods acknowledged living a lie, saying he alone was responsible for the sex scandal that caused his shocking downfall from global sporting icon to late-night TV punchline.

Tiger Woods acknowledged living a lie, saying he alone was responsible for the sex scandal that caused his shocking downfall from global sporting icon to late-night TV punchline. It was all me. Im the one who did it. Im the one who acted the way I acted. No one knew what was going on when it was going on, Woods told the Golf Channel in one of two interviews on Sunday night.

A second one was aired on ESPN,which will also televise the first two rounds of the Masters. Woods plans to end four months of seclusion and return to golf at the tournament next month. Talking about those plans marked the only time he smiled during either interview. Im sure if more people would have known in my inner circle,they would have stopped it or tried to put a stop to it, he said. But I kept it all to myself.

Woods also referred to his serial adultery by saying,I tried to stop and I couldnt stop. It was just,it was horrific.

Woods answered questions on camera for the first time since his early morning car crash last November,yet again divulged few details about the crash,his marriage,his stint in a rehabilitation clinic or his personal life. Woods insisted those matters would remain private.

A lot of ugly things have happened. 8230; Ive done some pretty bad things in my life, he said. I was living a life of a lie. I really was. Stripping away denial and rationalization you start coming to the truth of who you really are and that can be very ugly.

Woods admitted that four months of nearly nonstop public ridicule had caused him shame. It was hurtful,but then again,you know what? I did it, he said. And Im the one who did those things. And looking back on it now,with a more clear head,I get it. I can understand why people would say those things. Because you know what? It was disgusting behavior. Its hard to believe that was me,looking back on it now.

Asked to describe the lowest point,he replied,Ive had a lot of low points. Just when I didnt think it could get any lower,it got lower.

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He did,however,look more comfortable and composed than he did last month,wearing golf clothes and smiling several times when talk turned to the Masters,a tournament he won four times. He resumed practicing with swing coach Hank Haney last week. Woods said he couldnt wait to get back,though he had reservations about how hell be received. Im a little nervous about that to be honest with you, he said. It would be nice to hear a couple claps here and there.

Biggest media event

Augusta National will provide Woods one of the most tightly controlled environments in the sport. Tournament organisers limit the number of credentialed media and galleries traditionally are among the best-behaved in sports. Even so,CBS boss Sean McManus,whose network televises the final two rounds of the Masters,predicted it will be the biggest media event,other than the Obama inauguration,in the past 10 or 15 years.

Woods last played competitive golf at the Australian Masters,a tournament he won in November for his 82nd victory worldwide. He last played on the PGA Tour in the Tour Championship in September.

Woods said that being forced to confront his problems had made him stronger: You start conquering it and you start living up to it. The strength that I feel now,Ive never felt that type of strength.

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But he also admitted being uncertain about how much he would play after coming back. I will have more treatment and more therapy sessions. And as far as my schedule going forward,I dont know what Im going to do. I dont know what Im going to do in the future,either, he said.

That,to me,is a little bit bothersome,too,in the sense that I dont like not knowing what to do. But what I know I have to do is become a better person and that begins with going to more treatment.