Woods admits to nerves ahead of golf comeback

Golfer Tiger Woods has given his first interview since the scandal over his extra-marital affairs broke last November, and said he was nervous about making a comeback at next month's Masters.

Woods told American sports broadcaster ESPN that he hoped he would be applauded when he returned to the fairway but admitted that his behaviour had been "disgusting" and that he had been "living a lie" before news of his affairs came out.

The world number one has not played since the now infamous car crash outside his Florida home that precipitated news of several affairs. The golfer was linked to more than a dozen women, including a porn actress, and has spent a large part of the last four months being treated for sex addiction.

In the interview, Woods said that discovering the truth about himself had been an "ugly" process.

Asked about the reception he expected to get from fans when the Masters begins, the golfer admitted: "I'm a little nervous about that to be honest with you." He said he hoped he would be afforded a "couple of claps".

He declined to go into detail about his indiscretions, saying: "One is enough and obviously that wasn't the case." He added that everything else was between him and his wife, Elin Nordegren. She had reportedly put plans for a divorce on hold as she tries to patch things up with her errant husband.

Woods did give an indication as to his wife's reaction to the news of the affairs, describing her as "Hurt. Very hurt. Shocked. Angry." He added that neither Nordegren and his mother had taken it easy on him. "They both have been brutal. They've both been very tough," he admitted.

But he said he was keen to get back onto the golf course and get on with his career. "I've done some pretty bad things in my life. But now I'm getting back to my old roots," he said. ·