Tiger Speaks! Grants First Interview Since Sex Scandal

It took a few months, but Tiger Woods has finally given his first interview following shocking revelations of infidelity. The married golfing great, who recently announced his upcoming comeback at the Masters, told ESPN's Tom Rinaldi Sunday afternoon that the embarrassing news that he cheated on his wife Elin with a throng of mistresses has made him face his sex addiction.

"I didn't know I was that bad” he said of his problem during a surprise five-minute interview. When asked why he married his wife Elin in 2004 given his issues, he quickly answered, “Because I loved her," and then added that his wife was "shocked," "hurt," and "angry" when he told her of his affairs. Woods also said he finally agreed to an interview because his actions were a slap in the face to the people that have long supported him. But he was most visibly contrite about the pain he inflicted on his wife and mother. "I hurt them the most," he said. "Those are the two people in my life who I'm closest to and to say the things that I've done, truthfully to them [was] very painful."

When asked specific questions about the Nov. 27 car crash incident outside his Florida home that sparked the scandal, Woods declined to explain, saying, “You know it's all in the police report. Beyond that everything's between Elin and myself and that's private."

This is Woods’ first showing since he issued a public apology on Feb. 19, when he confessed to cheating on his wife. He faced widespread criticism for not allowing any questions. As for how he hopes to be received at the Masters by fans, Woods said, “I'm a little nervous about that to be honest with you. It would be nice to hear a couple claps here and there."

Woods faces a huge battle back to respectability. Most recently, he has dealt with news of x-rated text messages he sent to porn star Joslyn James. —Keith Murphy