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 No. 1 emerged.
The TMZ.com entertainment news Web site 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 hours of the morning on Nov. 27 outside the mansion where he lives with his wife and their two children.
He apologized on 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 on 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 voice-mail message for Grubbs urging her not to identify herself when calling him because he was worried his was becoming suspicious.
“I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart,” Woods said on his Web site, 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.
Woods’ neighbor, Jarius Lavar Adams, said he found Woods’ wife standing over her husband outside begging for help.
“She said: ‘Can you please help me? Can you please help me?’” Adams said, a transcript of the interview published by the Orlando Sentinel showed.
The interview revealed that Woods’ 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.
John Ziegler, pastor of the “First Church of Tiger Woods,” announced in a statement on the church’s blog that the organization was being dissolved because of the golfer’s “personal sins.”
“Tiger is clearly no longer deserving of being seen as a role model or a hero, and he has needlessly squandered his unique potential to be a positive force in our country and the world,” Ziegler wrote.
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