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[RJINTAMPA]

Tiger Woods is set to make his first public appearance since his extramarital escapades became worldwide news, with announcement of a Friday news conference at PGA Tour headquarters to apologize for his infidelity.

Golf's No. 1 attraction will take the podium at 11 a.m. Friday at the TPC Sawgrass clubhouse, though the news conference could be very short. Reports say Woods will make a statement and will not take questions.

Attendance also will be limited to "a small group of friends, colleagues and close associates," according to a two-paragraph statement sent via e-mail.

"While Tiger feels that what happened is fundamentally a matter between he and his wife, he also recognizes that he has hurt and let down a lot of other people who were close to him," the statement continued. "He also let down his fans. He wants to begin the process of making amends and that's what he's going to discuss."

Woods has not been seen since late November, when he crashed his SUV into a fire hydrant and a tree outside his Isleworth driveway in an apparent hurried wee-hours departure from his home the day after Thanksgiving.

Reports quickly surfaced that Woods had carried on affairs with several women, ranging from a New York events planner to a reality show contestant to a Perkins restaurant waitress to two porn stars.

Woods has made only two public statements since the accident, and nothing since a Dec. 11 statement on his website announcing he would take an indefinite hiatus from golf.

"I want to say again to everyone that I am profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness," Woods wrote at the time. "It may not be possible to repair the damage I've done, but I want to do my best to try."