After Woods makes statement, players offer their support

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Luke Donald: "Obviously, I think he made it very clear that he wants media to leave his family alone."

MARANA, Ariz. -- Thongchai Jaidee was the first to arrive.

Given his limited English, the reporters and camera crews parted like a miniature version of the Red Sea, allowing the pro from Thailand to walk uncontested to the locker room at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club.

Sergio Garcia exited his courtesy car next, his purposeful stride making a statement -- as in no statement. One of the talking heads assembled outside the clubhouse to gather reaction to Tiger Woods' just-televised apology was puzzled.

"I thought he said OK," she muttered. "It must have been 'no way.'"

Tim Clark, who was to play Sergio Garcia in the first match of the third round of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, had the most novel approach. He walked toward the throng of 35 or so with his sweater over his head.

As Clark neared the clubhouse, he whipped off his "disguise" and grinned. Then he, too, said nothing before he disappeared behind the thick wooden door to the locker room.

Golfers, like most other athletes, generally prefer not to talk to the media before going to work, instead wanting to focus on their upcoming rounds. Friday was even more unusual given the questions all concerned the game's No. 1 player and the treatment for his admitted infidelity.

Complete coverage

VIDEO: Watch Tiger Woods' full 13-1/2-minute statement in its entirety. Click here • Shorter video clip TIGER TRANSCRIPT: Read the complete transcript from Woods' statement Friday. Click here COMMISSIONER: Read Tim Finchem's reaction Friday. Click here PHOTOS: Check out fresh photos of Tiger practicing Thursday. Click here WRITERS BOYCOTT: Golf writers vote not to participate in statement. Click here

The first player to speak was Englishman Luke Donald. He stopped to answer two questions from CBS analyst David Feherty, and the two were immediately surrounded by about 35 other inquiring minds.

"I think it was a sincere apology," Donald said. "Obviously I think he made it very clear that he wants media to leave his family alone, which I kind of agree with.

"Seems like he's getting the care and the help that he needs, and hopefully he'll get the help he needs and he'll be back on TOUR whenever he's better."

Young Ryo Ishikawa, normally extremely patient with the ample Japanese media that hangs on the teenager's every move, bypassed the scene completely. He walked around the side of the building to the back door of the locker room.

Stewart Cink, who has served on the PGA TOUR's Policy Board and Player Advisory Board, did interviews with CBS, GOLF CHANNEL and Sky Sports. He saw parts of Woods' statement as he got ready for the tournament, and he said it seemed "heartfelt."

"I was moved by how difficult it seemed to be for him," said Cink, who added that he has had friends go through 12-step programs and knows that amends must be made. "But it's a big part of the process to go through that difficulty and to face up to what's happened. And especially the hurt that other people are feeling, his friends and family.

"So from that point of view, I think it was a very important step for him to take."

Cink acknowledged that Woods' behavior was "hard to understand, not having been there before myself, but as far as understanding, I have plenty of that. " He declined to speculate on when Woods might return to golf.

"For me to say anything about that would just be trying to get inside his head and figure out what he was thinking," said Cink, who lost to Woods in the title match of the 2008 Accenture Match Play Championship. "There's no way I could ever do that. I've tried to do that on the golf course plenty of times and it hasn't worked yet. For this, no, I have no idea. But he'll do it when it's his time."

When he does play competitively again, Cink said he felt Woods would be well-received by his peers. "One thing we have to remember, we've all made mistakes and all sinned. And forgiveness is a huge part of the process," he said.

Cink's swing coach, Butch Harmon, who worked with Woods for a decade, isn't so sure the beleaguered golfer would play in 2010. The majors may shape up well for him -- Woods has won at three of the four venues -- but Woods' recovery is key.

"I personally don't think he'll play this year," Harmon said as he waited for Cink to emerge from the locker room. "I have nothing to base that on. It's going to be very difficult if he's sincere about this process of healing and getting to the roots of his problem -- we all know anyone who's been part of any kind of program, this is just a start.

"Rehab takes a long time, takes a lot of perseverance, takes a lot of soul searching. It just doesn't end in a month. So whether he plays again this year or not remains to be seen. I don't think you should be surprised if he doesn't -- because right now the Masters at Augusta National, the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and the Open Championship at St. Andrews really aren't that important to what he's going through."

Crane

Ben Crane and Nick Watney were the only other players among the 16 competing Friday at the Accenture Match Play Championship who stopped to talk before their matches. Crane, who won the Farmers Insurance Open last month, said he felt Woods was very humble as he made the statement.

"One of the first things that came to my mind is one of my favorite stories in the Bible talks about a woman who has sinned and she's been a prostitute and everyone brings her before Jesus and says shouldn't we stone her? Shouldn't we kill her for all these bad things that she's done? And Jesus says, yes, absolutely, stone her. But you without sin be the one to cast the first stone," the deeply religious Crane said.

"... I think we all love him as a golfer and as a family man. And we want to see what's best for him, and I think everything he did is going to help him get back soon and help him."