(CNN) -- When Tiger Woods invoked his religious faith during his public apology on Friday, he readily acknowledged that a lot of people would be surprised. "People probably don't realize it," he said, "but I was raised a Buddhist, and I actively practiced my faith from childhood until I drifted away from it in recent years." But Woods said his Buddhist faith would be a key part of his quest to put his life back together after revelations of his marital infidelity, which he admitted for the first time. Buddhist experts said Woods' summation of the tradition's beliefs was accurate -- and that his remarks likely will bring more attention to the faith in a week when its highest profile leader, the Dalai Lama, is visiting the United States.
@highlight
Woods: "People probably don't realize it, but I was raised a Buddhist"
@highlight
Golf great, addressing controversy on Friday, says he had "drifted" from his faith
@highlight
"Woods was quite accurate" in his summation of Buddhism, one scholar says
@highlight
After affairs made news, Fox's Brit Hume publicly urged Woods to embrace Christianity
"He's said to be a Buddhist -- I don't think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the @placeholder faith," Hume said.