Tiger Woods' furious wife accuses mother-in-law of turning blind eye to his affair

Published on Friday 4 December 2009 22:10

YET another woman entered the spotlight in the scandal surrounding Tiger Woods yesterday – his mother.

Reports emerged that "tensions" over the champion golfer's extra-marital affairs already existed between Woods' wife, Elin Nordegren, 29, and his mother, Kultida, 65, before the car crash last week that led to his personal life becoming publicly exposed.

Ms Nordegren has accused her mother-in-law, who accompanied Woods on his trip to Melbourne for the Australian Masters last month, of "turning a blind eye" to her son's alleged liaisons with Rachel Uchitel, a nightclub hostess who is said to have joined him in his hotel room.

Sources told a newspaper that Woods, 33, even joked to friends about how his mother had been out "hammering his credit card" in expensive restaurants, while he is said to have been entertaining Ms Uchitel in his suite on the 35th floor of the Crown Towers hotel.

"Elin is beside herself with anger, because she can't believe that her mother-in-law did not know that Tiger was running round with this other woman when it was right under her nose," an unnamed source told the Melbourne Herald-Sun.

A separate source told the newspaper it was a well-known fact on the golf circuit that Ms Nordegren and her mother-in-law did not see eye to eye.

"Tida is a formidable woman and frightens the wits out of everyone, including her son. Elin is almost equally feisty. Tiger is often piggy-in-the-middle," the source revealed.

Neighbours who rushed to the golf champion's side after he crashed his Cadillac Escalade outside his Florida home last week revealed that Woods' mother had been staying at the couple's home for Thanksgiving, and was present as he lay bleeding and unconscious in the road.

"What happened?" a woman's voice, believed to be that of Mrs Woods senior, is heard to say on the tape of the 911 call placed by a neighbour from the scene.

Kimberly Harris, who lives next door to the Woods' mansion in Windermere, an exclusive gated community in Orlando, told investigators from the Florida highway patrol in a recorded interview: "The cops came… then the security guards came. And then it appears Mr Woods' mom, and Tiger's wife's mom, came out after the fact. I don't know if they heard the commotion… but they walked across the grass and were outside as well."

After a week of revelations over Woods' private life – with two women claiming to have had affairs with the golfer, more in talks with lawyers to consider doing so and Woods releasing a public apology admitting to "transgressions" – he faced fresh woes yesterday after golfer Jesper Parnevik spoke out for a second time, saying that he had "lost all respect" for Woods.

The former European Ryder Cup star and his wife had introduced Ms Nordegren, a fellow Swede, to her future husband, and the 44-year-old spoke out against Woods on Wednesday.

He followed it up yesterday, saying: "I haven't really talked to Tiger yet, so I don't want to say too much, but my heart goes out to her.

"There's nothing I regret (saying] and I stand by everything. He's lost all my respect; I mean, all the respect I had for the guy is gone, that's pretty much all I can say.

"I've tried to get through to him through his managers and secretaries but it's not easy – but it doesn't really matter, what's done is done."

The Golf Channel also reported that Parnevik had said: "Elin is having a very tough time."

Meanwhile, fans stayed away from Tiger Woods' own tournament in California, the Chevron World Challenge, in the wake of the scandal and the world No1's withdrawal from the event.

Tournament officials also announced that advance ticket-holders had the option to claim a refund.

GOLDEN SILENCE

THE daughter of lawyer Gloria Allred said that when her mother cancelled a news conference with one of Tiger Woods' alleged mistresses, Rachel Uchitel, that could mean only one thing – she made a deal with the Woods camp.

Lisa Bloom is a legal analyst for US television network CBS. She said yesterday that she had never known her mother to cancel a news conference.

She estimated a settlement would be "at least a million dollars".