Woods in marriage therapy after admission of 'sins'
Tigers Woods was reportedly undergoing intense marriage counseling on
Thursday, a day after the golf superstar admitted ``transgressions" in
his private life.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported Woods was holed up at the family home
in Florida with his wife Elin as the steady stream of tabloid
revelations concerning his alleged affairs showed no sign of abating.
A lawyer for the first woman linked to Woods - Rachel Uchitel -
canceled a Los Angeles press conference citing "unforeseen
circumstances" as fresh allegations about the woman and the world number
one emerged.
The TMZ.com entertainment news website reported that Uchitel, who has
denied an affair, did have a fling with Woods and that the couple
exchanged text messages shortly before his car accident last week.
Woods has yet to be seen in public since he crashed his car in
strange circumstances in the early morning hours on Friday outside the
mansion where he lives with his wife and their two children.
He apologized Wednesday for "transgressions" as a magazine posted
what it said was evidence of an extra-marital affair between him and a
second woman, cocktail waitress Jaimee Grubbs.
A third alleged mistress, Las Vegas night club manager Kalika Moquin,
told celebrity magazine Us Weekly on Thursday that rumors of an affair
between her and Woods were "completely untrue."
Uchitel was first linked to Woods in a National Enquirer article two
days before the golf star's crash.
She initially dismissed reports of an affair, telling the New York
Post: "It's the most ridiculous story. It's like they are asking me to
comment if there are aliens on earth."
She also rubbished suggestions she had a secret rendezvous with Woods
at a recent tournament in Australia, saying their presence in the
country at the same time was a coincidence. But TMZ.com reported late
Thursday that a close business associate of Woods had paid for Uchitel's
trip to Australia and had traveled to Melbourne with her for the
tournament.
Woods ended five days of silence on Wednesday after Us Weekly quoted
Grubbs as saying she had secretly dated him for 31 months and met him
for sex 20 times.
The magazine posted an online recording purported to be Woods leaving
a voicemail for Grubbs urging her not to identify herself when calling
him because he worried his wife was becoming suspicious.
"I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all
of my heart," Woods said on his website, but added he did not want to
elaborate on his shortcomings in public.
"Personal sins should not require press releases and problems within
a family shouldn't have to mean public confessions," he said, attempting
to draw a line under a scandal that has dented his squeaky clean image.
Meanwhile, the golfer's neighbors told police in subsequent
interviews that Woods was "unconscious and snoring" immediately after
last week's accident.
The neighbor, Jarius Lavar Adams, said he found Woods's wife standing
over her husband outside begging for help.
``She said, `Can you please help me? Can you please help me?'" Adams
said, according to a transcript of the interview published by the
Orlando Sentinel. The interview revealed that Woods's mother and his
mother-in-law were on the scene soon after the accident.
Woods has pulled out of the Chevron World Challenge outside Los
Angeles, an 18-star golf event to benefit his charity foundation.
Fans at the tournament voiced support for Woods on Thursday as the
tournament teed off.
"I'm sorry it's so public," Cynthia Camp said. "Everyone's talking
about it of course, but all of my friends are very supportive of
Tiger... All around the world there's chaos going on, and all we hear
about is poor Tiger."
Yet the golfing legend's personal transgressions were too much to
take for one of his most devout followers.
LOS ANGELES, Friday AFP |