Tiger Woods announced on this day in 2009 that he will take an “indefinite” leave from golf in an attempt to repair his personal life, while also admitting to infidelity in his marriage.
The disclosure came two weeks after a single-car accident near his Florida home led to the revelation of a long list of alleged mistresses, sullying the name of an athlete once upheld as a role model and the perfect pitchman for corporations wanting to enhance their brand.
Writing under his own name on his personal Web site, Woods pleaded for privacy and said he needed to take time away from the game that has defined him in order to save his marriage to Elin Nordegren, the mother of his two young children.
Woods reurned to professional golf at the Masters in April 2010 and finalized his divorce in August 2010.