Tiger Woods to speak at Obama inauguration ceremonies

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Tiger Woods operates in the Republican stronghold of the PGA Tour, and before the presidential election, he refused to say whether he was supporting Barack Obama or John McCain. Now, the No. 1 golfer in the world will be part of the president-elect’s inauguration ceremonies.

Woods said on his website today that he has accepted an invitation to speak at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday at ‘We Are One,’ a concert and celebration that will feature Beyonce, Bono, Bruce Springsteen, Sheryl Crow and Stevie Wonder, among others.

‘I am honored that I was invited to this historic event and look forward to participating in Sunday’s festivities,’ Woods said.

Woods has traditionally stayed removed from politics, though after Obama’s victory he told CNBC, ‘I think it’s absolutely incredible. ... My father was hoping it would happen in his lifetime, but he didn’t get to see it. I’m lucky enough to have seen a person of color in the White House.’

HBO plans to broadcast the event live at 11:30 a.m. PST on Sunday. HBO is encouraging cable television companies to allow non-subscribers to tune in. The show also will be beamed live on hbo.com.

-- Mike James

Photo (left): Tiger Woods. Credit: Danny Moloshok / Associated Press. Rhoto (right): Barack Obama. Credit: Kent Nishimura / Bloomberg.