Tiger Woods' apology seemed sincere to more than half of Americans, but his popularity remains in the weeds.
In an ABC News/ESPN poll conducted from Feb. 25-28, 54 percent of over 1,000 respondents said that Woods was sincere when he said he was sorry for the damage done by his admitted extramarital affairs. Twenty-two percent didn't believe it, and 24 percent had no opinion.
But only 39 percent had a favorable impression of the golfer after his admission. Woods has been on a steady decline since the story of his affairs broke. That's a far cry from his approval ratings in 2000 (88 percent), 2001 (84 percent) and 2005 (85 percent).
While companies like Gatorade and Gillette have canceled Woods' endorsement deals, 31 percent of those polled agreed with those decisions, but 54 percent thought that the golfer should remain a spokesperson for their products.
Finally, most of those polled are ready to give Woods a mulligan, but they don't think his wife should be so forgiving. Fifty-five percent said they are ready to forgive Woods, while only 29 percent say Elin Woods should do the same. Twenty-one percent say she shouldn't forgive him, and 42 percent of those polled said it's none of their business.
http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=4960760And...
Magazine corrects Obama call story
Contrary to a story in its April issue, President Barack Obama didn't make a personal call to embattled golfer Tiger Woods, Golf Digest Magazine said Monday.
"An article in the April issue of Golf Digest incorrectly reported that President Obama made a personal call to Tiger Woods to offer encouragement," the magazine said in an e-mail sent to media outlets Monday. "Our mistake was due to a misunderstanding between the writer and a trusted source. We regret the error."
The story has been updated online. In place of the report that Obama called Woods is a quote by the President from a January interview with People magazine.
The article said that President Obama and former President Bill Clinton both called Woods following his auto accident and subsequent reports of extramarital affairs. Woods took a leave from professional golf in December. Last month, Woods made a nationally televised statement apologizing for his actions and confirming he had spent time in rehabilitation.
White House officials denied the phone call by Obama on Sunday.
On Monday, a spokesman for Clinton confirmed the call. "President Clinton spoke with Tiger and wished him well," Clinton spokesman Matt McKenna said, according to People magazine.
In January, Golf Digest put Woods on the cover with Obama (the photo was a composite; the two were not together for it) and headlined the issue "10 Tips Obama Could Take From Tiger." The issue, printed before Woods' November auto accident, came out shortly after the initial reports of Woods' affairs.
http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=4957912
