Sports Titan Woods' fall rattles fans, sponsors

Fans and colleagues of golfer Tiger Woods on Saturday lamented the stunning fall from grace of one of the world's sporting titans, and commercial sponsor Gillette said it would limit his role in its marketing.

The announcement by Procter & Gamble's Gillette, which had featured the world's No. 1 golfer in its razor ads, was an early sign the sex scandal engulfing Woods was already taking its toll on his marketability as a global sports idol.

Gillette said it respected Woods'' surprise announcement on Friday that he would take an "indefinite break" from professional golf. Woods, 33, confessed to "infidelity" in his marriage to his Swedish wife Elin Nordegren as allegations of multiple extra-marital affairs rocked his life and career. 

While wishing the best for Woods, who has two small children, Gillette said: "As Tiger takes a break from the public eye, we will support his desire for privacy by limiting his role in our marketing programs."

Other major commercial backers have said they are standing by him, but AT&T, while also expressing support for Woods and his family, said it is evaluating its relations with him.  

Commercials featuring Woods -- who has won 14 major titles and 71 PGA Tour events, was the first athlete to earn $1 billion and is believed to be the wealthiest sports personality in the world -- have disappeared from prime-time TV. 

Sports business commentator Rick Horrow told CNN golf had "lost a billion-dollar juggernaut." He said Woods had been unable to defend his carefully protected private life from the media-fueled onslaught of sleazy allegations against him.

"It's the most recognizable guy in the world coming up against the Internet age," he said.

Nevertheless, several of Woods'' biggest celebrity endorsement sponsors, which include Nike, PepsiCo''s Gatorade and Electronic Arts, say they continue to support their commercial icon.

As commentators tried to count the cost of Woods'' absence from the PGA Tour and the multibillion-dollar world of golf, reactions from fans poured in to his website, many supportive.

"Tiger, we'll miss you very much. Come back soon!", one supporter wrote. "Tiger, Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday. Enjoy your time off," said another, referring to Woods' upcoming 34th birthday on Dec. 30.

"Golf needs him"                                       

As the world watched open-mouthed, Woods'' carefully cultivated image crumbled in the short space of two weeks as a parade of up to 13 women -- from cocktail waitresses to porn stars -- came forward to say they had had flings with the married father of two.

On his website on Friday, Woods admitted for the first time to "infidelity" after earlier admitting "transgressions." He did not mention specific affairs, but asked for forgiveness and said he would leave golf for an indefinite period "to focus my attention on being a better husband, father, and person". 

Sports fans and pundits are asking just how "indefinite" Woods' absence from the golf circuit will be, given big-draw events next year like the San Diego Open in January, the US Open at Pebble Beach in June and the British Open at St Andrews in July -- the last two his favorite venues.

His fall from grace resounded among fellow players. "With Tiger out, it's definitely going to have an impact," Britain's Graeme McDowell told US television network Golf Channel. "Tournaments are going to be easier without him in the field, obviously, but we certainly need him. ... He gives events such a big boost. ... Golf needs him," he said.

Speaking from Australia, fellow US golfer John Daly urged Woods to "take a break, get it together," while Woods' long-time caddie Steve Williams told New Zealand's Sunday News, "I will be there for him when he wishes to return to play."

Woods' withdrawal from the spotlight is likely to hammer golf broadcasts -- ratings for tournaments dropped nearly 50 percent in the eight months he was absent in 2008-2009 as he recovered from knee surgery.

Clean living image

Some media outlets speculate Woods and his family may try to escape the public glare by going on a sea cruise in his luxury motor yacht, ironically called "Privacy," or moving to Sweden, his wife's home country. 

Nordegren has bought a farmhouse on a small island, Faglaro, just outside the Swedish capital Stockholm, the head of the residents'' association told Reuters on Saturday.  

While fans and sponsors expressed understanding for Woods'' predicament, some supporters questioned the celebrity culture that made him a high-profile role model, ultimately with feet of clay. "Hopefully this is a wake-up call," wrote one fan.                                           

A New Zealand TV interview to be broadcast on Tuesday shows how the top golfer carefully projected a clean-living image.    

In a trailer for the interview, conducted in Australia last month before Woods admitted to infidelity, sports broadcaster Murray Deaker asks the golfer: "Family first and golf second. Always be like that?"

"Always," Woods replied. 

What pierced Woods'' larger-than-life persona, propped up by lucrative endorsement deals and polished by the media and adoring fans, was a minor early morning car accident outside his Florida home on Nov. 27.

Speculation that the accident was provoked by a blazing quarrel between Woods and his wife over his affairs rapidly ballooned into a full-fledged sex scandal.

The Florida Highway Patrol has closed its investigation into his Nov. 27 accident after issuing a ticket to him for careless driving. Woods suffered facial cuts and bruises in the single-car crash, in which he hit a water hydrant and a tree.

He has paid his $164 traffic fine and faces no criminal charges.