What Tiger Woods' 'indefinite break' from golf might mean

On Friday evening, a statement on Tiger Woods' website announced that the world's greatest golfer is going to take "an indefinite break from professional golf." Tiger begins the statement by expressing awareness of the "disappointment and hurt that my infidelity has caused to so many people, most of all my wife and children."

Woods adds that "It may not be possible to repair the damage I've done, but I want to do my best to try." The questions now are: Will his family be willing to forgive him, how will his sponsors react and how might his hiatus affect the sport, especially if it turns into a permanent break?