With all of the circumstances, this prepared statement is long overdue.  Though you would expect that this was a difficult task.  Tiger Woods took the podium at PGA TOUR Headquarters, Friday, and delivered a well prepared statement, with moments that ranged from robotic to anger filled to sorrowful.  It was an exercise in humility for the games greatest player.  That is why I respect his wishes to take no questions.  He’s right to accept no questions on the topics in the future.  His crime is one between he and his wife, and of little business to anyone else.

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

TIGER WOODS: Good morning, and thank you for joining me. Many of you in this room are my friends. Many of you in this room know me. Many of you have cheered for me or you’ve worked with me or you’ve supported me.

Now every one of you has good reason to be critical of me. I want to say to each of you, simply and directly, I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behavior I engaged in.

I know people want to find out how I could be so selfish and so foolish. People want to know how I could have done these things to my wife Elin and to my children. And while I have always tried to be a private person, there are some things I want to say.

Elin and I have started the process of discussing the damage caused by my behavior. As Elin pointed out to me, my real apology to her will not come in the form of words; it will come from my behavior over time. We have a lot to discuss; however, what we say to each other will remain between the two of us.

I am also aware of the pain my behavior has caused to those of you in this room. I have let you down, and I have let down my fans. For many of you, especially my friends, my behavior has been a personal disappointment. To those of you who work for me, I have let you down personally and professionally. My behavior has caused considerable worry to my business partners.

To everyone involved in my foundation, including my staff, board of directors, sponsors, and most importantly, the young students we reach, our work is more important than ever. Thirteen years ago, my dad and I envisioned helping young people achieve their dreams through education. This work remains unchanged and will continue to grow. From the Learning Center students in Southern California to the Earl Woods scholars in Washington, D.C., millions of kids have changed their lives, and I am dedicated to making sure that continues.

But still, I know I have bitterly disappointed all of you. I have made you question who I am and how I could have done the things I did. I am embarrassed that I have put you in this position.

For all that I have done, I am so sorry.

I have a lot to atone for, but there is one issue I really want to discuss. Some people have speculated that Elin somehow hurt or attacked me on Thanksgiving night. It angers me that people would fabricate a story like that. Elin never hit me that night or any other night. There has never been an episode of domestic violence in our marriage, ever. Elin has shown enormous grace and poise throughout this ordeal. Elin deserves praise, not blame.

The issue involved here was my repeated irresponsible behavior. I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated. What I did is not acceptable, and I am the only person to blame.

I stopped living by the core values that I was taught to believe in. I knew my actions were wrong, but I convinced myself that normal rules didn’t apply. I never thought about who I was hurting. Instead, I thought only about myself. I ran straight through the boundaries that a married couple should live by. I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to. I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled. Thanks to money and fame, I didn’t have to go far to find them.

I was wrong. I was foolish. I don’t get to play by different rules. The same boundaries that apply to everyone apply to me. I brought this shame on myself. I hurt my wife, my kids, my mother, my wife’s family, my friends, my foundation, and kids all around the world who admired me.

I’ve had a lot of time to think about what I’ve done. My failures have made me look at myself in a way I never wanted to before. It’s now up to me to make amends, and that starts by never repeating the mistakes I’ve made. It’s up to me to start living a life of integrity.

I once heard, and I believe it’s true, it’s not what you achieve in life that matters; it’s what you overcome. Achievements on the golf course are only part of setting an example. Character and decency are what really count.

Parents used to point to me as a role model for their kids. I owe all those families a special apology. I want to say to them that I am truly sorry.

It’s hard to admit that I need help, but I do. For 45 days from the end of December to early February, I was in inpatient therapy receiving guidance for the issues I’m facing. I have a long way to go. But I’ve taken my first steps in the right direction.

As I proceed, I understand people have questions. I understand the press wants to ask me for the details and the times I was unfaithful. I understand people want to know whether Elin and I will remain together. Please know that as far as I’m concerned, every one of these questions and answers is a matter between Elin and me. These are issues between a husband and a wife.

Some people have made up things that never happened. They said I used performance enhancing drugs. This is completely and utterly false. Some have written things about my family. Despite the damage I have done, I still believe it is right to shield my family from the public spotlight. They did not do these things; I did.

I have always tried to maintain a private space for my wife and children. They have been kept separate from my sponsors, my commercial endorsements. When my children were born, we only released photographs so that the paparazzi could not chase them. However, my behavior doesn’t make it right for the media to follow my two and a half year old daughter to school and report the school’s location. They staked out my wife and they pursued my mom. Whatever my wrongdoings, for the sake of my family, please leave my wife and kids alone.

I recognize I have brought this on myself, and I know above all I am the one who needs to change. I owe it to my family to become a better person. I owe it to those closest to me to become a better man. That’s where my focus will be.

I have a lot of work to do, and I intend to dedicate myself to doing it. Part of following this path for me is Buddhism, which my mother taught me at a young age. People probably don’t realize it, but I was raised a Buddhist, and I actively practiced my faith from childhood until I drifted away from it in recent years. Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously I lost track of what I was taught.

As I move forward, I will continue to receive help because I’ve learned that’s how people really do change. Starting tomorrow, I will leave for more treatment and more therapy. I would like to thank my friends at Accenture and the players in the field this week for understanding why I’m making these remarks today.

In therapy I’ve learned the importance of looking at my spiritual life and keeping in balance with my professional life. I need to regain my balance and be centered so I can save the things that are most important to me, my marriage and my children.

That also means relying on others for help. I’ve learned to seek support from my peers in therapy, and I hope someday to return that support to others who are seeking help. I do plan to return to golf one day, I just don’t know when that day will be.

I don’t rule out that it will be this year. When I do return, I need to make my behavior more respectful of the game. In recent weeks I have received many thousands of emails, letters and phone calls from people expressing good wishes. To everyone who has reached out to me and my family, thank you. Your encouragement means the world to Elin and me.

I want to thank the PGA TOUR, Commissioner Finchem, and the players for their patience and understanding while I work on my private life. I look forward to seeing my fellow players on the course.

Finally, there are many people in this room, and there are many people at home who believed in me. Today I want to ask for your help. I ask you to find room in your heart to one day believe in me again.

Thank you.

Click Here to Watch the Full Tiger Woods Statement

After Thursday’s opening round of the San Diego Open, Phil Mickelson should have been praised for his opening round of 2-under-par.  Yet instead he had players complaining of his conduct.

As everyone knows, the USGA instituted a new rule on groove shape.  And while most players have decided to abide by the rules, several, including Mickelson, have experimented with 15-20 year old wedges that somehow, under lawsuit, are exempt from the USGA ban.

Read all of the Scuttlebutt Here

Before the Colts and Saints kickoff on Superbowl Sunday, get a little friendly competition in yourself at Herndon Centennial.   On Sunday February  7, you can assemble a 4-Person team and compete in the Superbowl Scramble.   The event is a 10:00am shotgun start  and has a $55 per person entry fee which includes greens fee, cart, range balls and prizes.

Click Here for More Information

When will we see Tiger Woods again?

Tiger Woods is no longer the man you thought you knew. Yet in all this hoopla; the dramatic fall from grace of the world’s most popular athlete, those who said that they actually knew Tiger as a man are just plain kidding themselves.

The fact is, Tiger Woods is a golfer. He’s the best anyone has ever seen. He has also never let any of you into his personal life, and has failed to throw his weight into any social agenda of world importance, save of course, his foundation and endorsement of President Obama. Yet now, because of his personal problems and subsequent media firestorm surrounding the details of his private business, the golf world has lost him. And it may be forever.

Tiger’s rapidly unfolding, remarkable story has been told by every sleazy publication in the world. Though I feel it is important for this media organization to now choose its side. We choose golf.

Pros N’ Hackers stands by Tiger Woods, the world’s greatest golfer. We’re in the golf business and no matter what anyone on the PGA TOUR, or otherwise says, golf can’t do business without its CEO.

Even though I’m still in love with golf, my confidence in the game’s future reached a new low on Friday, December 11^th 2009. The day the music died. The day Tiger said he would be hanging up the spikes for an “indefinite” period of time. Mark my word, until his return, minutes will seem like hours.

Part of the Never Ending Scandal

Am I the only one that’s willing to say… “Why couldn’t these sorted details have come out later in life or just remained hidden, for that matter?” because that’s how I feel. I don’t give a damn. Tiger Woods was in his prime, and in-sight of the two greatest records in this sport: Sam Snead’s 82 PGA TOUR victories and, more importantly, Jack Nicklaus’ 18 major championships. Who knows when he’ll be able to refocus on those tasks, or if he will be the unbreakable figure we all came to know. Does a broken Tiger dominate?

Woods, with 71 PGA TOUR wins and 14 major championships has done things on the golf course that are simply unthinkable. As a 34-year old lifelong golf fan, I only have room for a few dramatic golf memories that don’t involve Tiger Woods.

He won the 1997 Masters by 12 shots. He dusted the field by 15 at the 2000 U.S. Open. The list goes on and on.

He makes clutch shot after clutch shot, and every single putt that he needs to make, no matter the distance or opponent.

Say what you will about me, but I will not join the crusade to vilify this man. I don’t care about his wife, his girls on the side, his wrecked SUV or his wrecked personal life. I could give a damn about the millions of people, publications and web sites who cared nothing about golf or Tiger Woods, the magnificent corporate ornament, yet can’t report enough on the flawed infidel who is apparently addicted to sex, drugs and even rock and roll if they look hard enough I’ll bet.

Partly, Tiger Woods is being punished for creating Tiger Woods. There is no doubt in my mind that, in his veneer, he manufactured a double standard for himself. He’s up there with Babe Ruth, Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan, in terms of his athletic achievement, popularity and importance to his profession, all of whom were supernatural athletes, yet flawed men.

I could write a novel about the indiscretions of sporting celebrities. And then I’ll follow it up with one about actors and entertainers, followed by Vol. III, The Politicians.

And suddenly, I’m supposed to think that my sport’s brightest star has burnt out, just like that. Just because Tiger can’t seem to get enough when it comes to the opposite sex. Maybe he shouldn’t have gotten married. And he definitely shouldn’t have made some of the choices that he has apparently made, time and time again. However, none of this has anything to do with Tiger Woods the world’s best golfer. But listening to many reports, one might think he’s the world’s worst human being.

This is the image of Tiger that most should want to remember.

This is disastrous in more ways than one. The PGA TOUR will take a huge sponsor hit from these shenanigans. Tiger will never play the schedule that he once did. In my opinion, he may begin a Hogan type existence- Reclusion for most of the year and then perhaps we’ll see him at the majors. This has all gone too far and has ripped golf apart at the seams. In terms of notoriety and financial impact, what Tiger once giveth, he now taketh away. But it doesn’t have to be lost forever. I know he will be back, healed and ready to excite us all over again.

To many, Tiger may not fit the image of the squeaky clean, perfect man anymore. But he’s a perfect golfer. That’s all that I care about.

-Chris Counts, Editor

Tell Pros N’ Hackers how you feel about the World’s Number One Golfer.

FROM PGA TOUR PRESS RELEASE:

When 14-time Champions Tour winner Jay Haas defends his Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship title next season, he’ll be doing so at the newly renovated TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm in Potomac, Md., as the PGA TOUR Board of Directors approved a one-year move to the course for Oct. 4-10, 2010.  Baltimore Country Club, which has served as host for the Champions Tour’s fifth major since 2007, has one year left in its site agreement with the PGA TOUR and will host the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship in 2011.

“We are delighted to announce this one-year move of the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship to TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, and we would like to thank the TPC Potomac membership for affording this opportunity to our players – many of whom played there during the Kemper Open and Booz Allen Classic days – and will most certainly enjoy returning to since its incredible renovation,” said Mike Stevens, Champions Tour president.

The Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship comes to the Washington, D.C., area, joining the Nationwide Tour’s Prince George’s County, Maryland, event as one of two PGA TOUR-sanctioned events in the region.  The PGA TOUR’s AT&T National will be played at Aronimink Golf Club in Newton Square, Pa., in 2010-2011.

“We want to thank the membership and leadership of Baltimore Country Club for graciously agreeing to delay the one year remaining in our contract to 2011, setting up this opportunity to showcase the Champions Tour at the new TPC Potomac,” said Stevens.  “With the Nationwide Tour’s Melwood Prince George’s County Open at the University of Maryland Golf Course in June, local golf fans will have the opportunity to experience both the PGA TOUR’s future stars and its legendary players first hand.”

“As the title sponsor for the 2010 Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship, we are pleased that this prestigious golf tournament will once again be held in and for the benefit our home state of Maryland,” said Mayo A. Shattuck III, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Constellation Energy.  “Constellation Energy will continue to build on our efforts to ensure the tournament remains carbon neutral and showcases the very best of how energy and the environment can beneficially work together.  As has been the case in the past, we have enjoyed tremendous support from volunteers, particularly Constellation Energy employees and retirees, and we welcome their continued involvement in helping to make this year’s event a success. We look forward to a great tournament in 2010 at the new venue at TPC Potomac and to the return of the tournament to Baltimore Country Club in 2011.”

TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, which hosted a PGA TOUR event from 1987-2004 and 2006, was recently named No. 12 on Golfweek’s list of the “Best New Courses for 2009.”  Current Champions Tour stars who won PGA TOUR events at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm include Gil Morgan (1990), Morris Hatalsky (1988) and Tom Kite (1987).

“TPC Potomac is thrilled to serve as host of the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship in 2010,” said Mike Sullivan, TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm general manager.  “There is little doubt that the Champions Tour players will be thoroughly impressed with the renovations to TPC Potomac and the upgraded amenities.  We look forward to providing our members, homeowners and fans with an outstanding experience, while at the same time supporting worthy non-profit organizations.”

“Baltimore Country Club has enjoyed hosting the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship for the past three years, and we look forward to welcoming back the best of the Champions Tour in 2011,” said Michael Stott, Baltimore Country Club general manager and COO.  “We are in full support of the TOUR’s opportunity to take the event to TPC Potomac next year and know that the D.C. area will appreciate the event – and its commendable charitable impact on the local community – as much as we have since 2007 and will again in 2011.”

“It’s going to be great for the Champions Tour to be in the Washington, D.C., area,” said Haas.  “A lot of us out here played TPC Potomac for many years when we were on the PGA TOUR, and from what everyone says about the redesign, it’s now without question a harder, better, championship-caliber course.  I think it’s one that the Champions Tour players will appreciate as the site of our final major of the season.”

The moderator at the World Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremonies couldn’t have said it better, “A native son of Richmond, Virginia will stand before up tonight to take his rightful place in the World Golf Hall of Fame.”

After a distinguished golf career, which saw him win numerous amateur titles and 21 PGA TOUR Victories,  including the 1977 PGA Championship, Lanny Wadikins entered the shrine where his accomplishments will forever be portrayed.

Jim Nantz:
I’m thinking, though, how much and how long Lanny has deserved this recognition tonight. I’m also thinking about two things I’ve heard him say so many times. We all have this kind of floating through our heads, thoughts, wishes. I’ve heard Lanny say so many times: Boy, I wish my dad were alive to see this. I heard him many times say: I wish my boys, Chad and Tucker, had a chance to see me in my prime.

Lanny’s father was a prideful man who loved his boys, Lanny and Bobby, and his daughter Ann. He was driving a truck for a living when Lanny learned how to play the game. During the week he was on the highway for Blue and Gray Transportation, and the weekends were all about any activity in which he could involve his kids.

Lanny at age six would pull his dad’s pull cart so that he could spend time with the man he idolized. And by ten, well, he was playing the game at such a high level they were writing about him in Richmond.

He was breaking 80 at the age of 10. So notable that when he did that at Meadowbrook country club, the Richmond Times Dispatch wrote a story about it. A picture ran in the paper. There was Lanny. There’s the picture. Standing next to his golf bag, the bag bigger than the boy. Still the case, too, by the way.

A few years later he would meet a PGA TOUR professional for the first time. It was a big occasion there in the Richmond area when he played an exhibition match at Country Club of Virginia with Arnold Palmer. He remembers beating his hero that day.

I’m thinking it’s been a long time coming for Jerry Lanston Wadkins, Jr., to take his rightful place in the World Golf Hall of Fame with the best who ever played. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the Hall of Fame Lanny Wadkins.

Said Wadkins of this momentous occasion, “It’s something that I never dreamed of. You start out playing golf, you don’t think about playing for a Hall of Fame. You think about trying to win tournaments and support your family and maybe accomplishing some wins and stuff, you never think it will culminate in something like this. It’s just very exciting. “

Put your thinking caps on. This course needs a name.

Baltimore County Golf announced today the opportunity for greater Baltimore area golfers to help rename Timonium-based Longview Golf Course, which is undergoing a $2.9 million renovation. Potential names can be submitted online by visiting Baltimore County Golf’s Web site at BaltimoreGolfing.com/Longview and clicking on the “Submit your idea for a new name” button. Names will be collected through the end of October and the public can vote for their favorite name in November.

“The renovations that are taking place will create a totally new golfing and training experience,” said Chris Hanson, head golf professional at Longview. “The creation of a new name is consistent with the fact that we have changed the overall feel, playing characteristics and capabilities of the facility.

In June 2009 Baltimore County Golf began its renovation of Longview Golf Course with several goals in mind: to dramatically improve the back-nine playing conditions while maintaining the existing par and length; to create the area’s top training facility and to eliminate the problems associated with the former driving range. Five new greens have been seeded and shaped, the new entranceway was recently paved and, construction of the new driving range (with adjacent parking) has begun. Once construction is complete, the new golf and training facility will feature:

• 300-yard bi-directional range with multiple target greens for right- and left-handed golfers
• More than 50 practice stations
• Covered tees
• Two natural-grass training areas with bunkers for private and group instructions
• Two ball distribution areas
• New range building
• Parking adjacent to the pads

To receive updates on course renovations, golfers can follow Baltimore County Golf on Twitter @BaltCountyGolf or sign up for e-blasts via BaltimoreGolfing.com/Longview.

During construction, Longview has 9 holes open and golfers can still play an 18-hole round. For more information on special rates and tee time availability during the renovation, visit baltimoregolfing.com/Longview or call the course at 410.887.7735.

*from Press Release dated 10/19/2009

The PB Dye Golf Club in Ijamsville is certainly on any Middle Atlantic golfer’s wish list.  And now if you wish, you can play the course for free for the rest of this year. Check out the details below.

The Champions Tour has released tee times for Thursday’s first round of the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship; the final major of the year in professional golf.

Come Out and See Tom Watson and the Rest of the Champions Tour

The final senior major championship of the year is set to convene right here in our back yard, as the Champions Tour’s Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship tees it up at the Baltimore Country Club this week.

Anticipation is high for this event as it features the biggest purse on the Champions Tour and some of the best names in golf; Tom Watson, Bernhard Langer, Loren Roberts, Nick Price, defending champion D.A. Weibring and many, many more.

The preliminary weather report looks good, with temperatures in the low 70’s and mostly sun for the tournament days of Thursday-Sunday.  Click Here to purchase tickets for this week’s tournament.  Click Here for tournament information such as directions and parking.