he now ex-wife of Tiger Woods has broken the silence she maintained through the ordeal of dealing with the torrid sex scandal that engulfed their marriage, saying she has been through "hell."
Elin Nordegren, a Swedish-born former model and nanny, spoke to People magazine after she and Woods issued a statement confirming the divorce two days ago, which had been widely anticipated for months after his public confession of infidelity.
Woods was 12 shots off the pace when he pulled out of the tournament
Tiger Woods has withdrawn from The Players Championship with an injury that he fears might be a bulging disk in his upper back.
He says he's been playing with a bad neck for about a month.
After hitting his drive well to the right on the seventh hole, Woods called for an official. He hit his second shot and grimaced, then walked to the middle of the fairway to shake hands with Jason Bohn before leaving on a golf cart.
Golf star Tiger Woods has publicly apologised for his affairs in a televised address - but refused to name a date for his golf comeback.
The American, who cheated behind his wife Elin's back, read from a prepared statement in his odd appearance in Florida.
He said: 'I want to say that I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behaviour.
I was unfaithful, I had affairs, I cheated. What I did was unacceptable.
'I've made you question who I am and how I could have done the things I've done. I'm embarrassed that I put you in this position.
'I know my actions were wrong but I convinced myself that normal rules didn't apply (to me). I was wrong. I was foolish. I don't get to play by different rules. I brought this shame on myself.'
Woods added: 'I hurt my wife, my kids, my mother, my wife's family, my friends, my foundation and kids all around the world who admired me.
'I know people want to find out how I could be so selfish and so foolish. People want to know how I could have done these things to my wife, Elin, and to my children.
'And, while I have always tried to be a private person, there are some things I want to say. Elin and I have started the process of discussing the damage caused by my behaviour. We have a lot to discuss and what we say to each other will remain between the two of us.'
Addressing his personal issues, Woods said: 'I've had a lot of time to think about what I've done. My failures have made me look at myself in a way I've never wanted to before. It's now up to me to make amends. And that starts by never repeating the mistakes I've made.
'It's up to me to start living a life of integrity. It's hard to admit that I need help but I do. For 45 days from the end of December to early February I was in in-patient therapy receiving guidance for the issues I'm facing. I have a long way to go. I have taken my first steps in the right direction.'
Woods was injured on November 27 of last year when he crashed his car into a
fire hydrant and a tree near his Florida home after an argument with his wife.
Woods said he 'ran straight through the boundaries' that a married couple should observe.
He admitted: 'I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to, I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled.
Thanks to money and fame, I didn't have to go far to find them. I was wrong, I was foolish. I don't get to play by different rules.'
Woods said his Buddhist faith would help him to 'be a better man' and 'stop following every impulse and to learn restraint'.
On the speculation that he had been attacked by his wife on the night of his crash, he said he was angered by the 'fabricated' accounts.There were claims that Elin hit him with a golf club.
He said: 'I have a lot to atone for but there's one issue I really want to discuss. Some people have speculated that Elin somehow hurt or attacked me on Thanksgiving night.
'It angers me that people would fabricate a story like that. Elin never hit me that night or any other night. There has never been an episode of domestic violence in our marriage. Elin has shown enormous grace and poise throughout this ordeal. Elin deserves praise not blame.'
On his golf comeback, Woods revealed: 'I do plan to return to golf on day but I just don't know when that day will be. It may well be this year.'
Woods added that he would be returning for further therapy on Saturday.
After he spoke, Woods hugged his mother Kultida, who was in the front row of the specially selected audience. She whispered in his ear: 'I'm so proud of you. Never think you stand alone. Mom will always be there for you and I love you.'
The event was tightly controlled, with only a few journalists allowed to watch Woods live. He was dressed in a suit with an open collar shirt. There were no visible marks on him.
Woods spoke for 14 minutes from the clubhouse at the TPC Sawgrass, home of the US PGA Tour. About 40 people were in the room.
He added: 'In recent weeks I have received many thousands of emails, letters
and phone calls from people expressing good wishes. To everyone who has reached
out to me and my family, thank you. Your encouragement means the world to Elin
and me.
'I want to thank the PGA Tour, commissioner (Tim) Finchem and the players for their patience and understanding while I work on my private life. I look forward to seeing my fellow players on the course.
'Finally, there are many people in this room and there are many people at home who believed in me. Today I want to ask for your help. I ask you to find room in your heart to one day believe in me again.'
Tiger Woods would come up Trumps as a playboy - sound advice from American business magnate Donald Trump
American business magnate Donald Trump is recommending that Tiger Woods ends his marriage and becomes a playboy.
'Tiger's a friend of mine and I have a lot of respect for Tiger as an amazing athlete, but this whole thing has got totally out of hand,' said Trump in advance of the golfer's eagerly-awaited statement on Friday.
On the five-year marriage between Woods and Swedish ex-model Elin Nordegren - they have two small children - he added on the Fox television network: 'I have a whole question as to whether they should even get back together.
'It's so damaged and if the reports are just half true I would recommend Tiger just call it a bad experience, say bye-bye, go out and be a wonderful playboy and win tournaments and have a good life.
'I think the whole concept of them getting together is not in the best interest necessarily of either one.
'It's so badly damaged that every time they have a little argument she's going to look at him with blood pouring out of her eyes.
'I think the best thing he can do is go on his way, work hard on his game, win major championships and other championships and continue to be maybe the best golfer that ever lived.'
Trump, married three times, also believes the reaction to the sex scandal has not been handled well by the Woods camp, right up to today's announcement when no questions are to be permitted from the small number of reporters allowed in.
I would have rather seen him do this (returning to the public arena) a lot earlier,' he added.
'Just keep it open. To have such a controlled news conference where the golf writers association won't even attend ... I would just be advising Tiger much differently.
'The most important thing Tiger can do is get back on the golf course and win. This whole thing with sex rehabilitation, I'm not sure I'm a believer.
'I think the whole thing is crazy. Accenture have a tournament (in Tucson) and they were the first sponsor to drop Tiger.
'Look, Tiger will never again make the kind of money he was making because these great companies are probably never coming back no matter what happens.
'Tiger will hopefully be the greatest golfer ever again. I think the main thing is that he plays great golf and wins major championships. If he does that then not all of it is going to be forgotten, but a lot of it will be.'
Woods believes it will not be easy for Woods to close the gap on Jack Nicklaus's record 18 majors. He stands at 14.
'There's so much pressure on Tiger. The young kids coming up are phenomenal golfers,' he said. 'I think it's going to be very hard for Tiger to get back into that great, great group.'
Spotlight: Tiger enters the stage
Gaze: Tiger Woods talks to his mother Kultida after his statement
Watching on: The crowd gaze at Tiger Woods
Hand on heart: Woods admits his mistakes
Centre of attention: Tiger with his head bowed in speech
Apology: Tiger Woods in his televised address
Trump card: Donald Trump with his third wife, Melania.Advice Tiger woods to quit the marriage and be the world best golf player and continue to be a good playboy.
Before the tears: Elin Nordegren and Tiger Woods. Miss Nordegrin has apparently given her husband six months to save their marriage
After the crash: Waitress Jaimee Grubbs, 24, just one of the string of women who claimed to have had an affair with the father-of-two
Tiger Woods has been reunited with his children for the first time in more than a month, it has been reported.
The shamed golfer is said to have been picked up from an addiction clinic by his wife Elin Nordegren in time for their son Charlie's first birthday.
Miss Nordegren, who also has a two-year-old daughter by Woods called Sam, is believed to have given him six months to save their marriage.
His squeaky-clean image was destroyed by claims of affairs with a string of women, including cocktail waitresses and party hostesses.
The 33-year-old admitted to infidelity and issued an extraordinary public apology for his 'transgressions', confessing 'I have let my family down'.
Although he denies he is a sex addict, Woods has been receiving treatment at the Pine Grove Behavioural Health and Addiction Services clinic in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, so that he can 'get his life back on track'.
His 30-year-old Swedish wife is believed to have participated in his therapy.
Despite earlier reports that the couple intended to divorce, they are now said to be spending time alone to work on their marriage and plan to return to their home in Orlando, Florida.
When news of the affairs broke in December, Woods said he was taking an 'indefinite break' from professional golf. He was dropped by several sponsors.
But reports that he had completed his six-week addiction course led to immediate speculation that he could return to the golf circuit within weeks.
There were suggestions that he could play in the Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona in a fortnight.
He would have to register by Friday for the tournament which is open to the top 64 players in the world.
However, it is more widely believed that he will make his return in the Arnold Palmer Invitation in Florida, an event he has won six times, and which is played at the end of March, shortly before the Masters, the first major of the year.
Split: Tiger Woods will reportedly give wife Elen Nordegren (right), seen smiling yesterday in Windermere, Florida, $300million plus the houses in a divorce deal
Secret liasions: Rachel Uchitel said she wore a ski mask while visiting Woods
Keeping mum: Elin nordegren appeared happy and relaxed as she was spotted picking up her son Charlie Axel Woods in Windermere, Florida
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School run: Elin sports a pair of aviator shades as she collects her two-year-old daughter Sam Alexis in Windermere, Florida
Happier days before the breakout of sex scandal from Tiger Woods.
Elin with better face, notice below the more skeleton jawline.
Diminishing frame: Elin's previously fuller face (right) appears to have slimmed down to reveal hollow cheeks and an angled jaw line.Strain: Tiger Woods' estranged wife Elin Nordegren's face has lost its fullness as she runs errands in Windermere, Florida, yesterday - days after turning 30
Slimmer: Despite covering up in a baggy jumper, Elin's frame is noticeably slimmer compared to her previously curvier frame
Covered up: Elin hid her slender frame under an oversized jumper dress
Covered up: Elin hid her slender frame under an oversized jumper dress
No stress: Tiger Woods' estranged wife is said to have taken dozens of boxes containing documents from the premises of the golfer's offices
Tiger Woods’ main mistress has reportedly claimed the shamed golf star 'gave her lots of cash and hours of sex' as a present on Christmas Day.
Rachel Uchitel – whose affair with the billionaire sparked his car crash row with wife Elin Nordegren – said they had several secret encounters over the festive period.
All smiles: Woods and a fresh-faced Elin in 2002
Woods has not been seen in public since revelations of his cheating began more than a month ago.
But party hostess Miss Uchitel, 34, said she was able to avoid being spotted by wearing a ski mask on visits to his Florida mansion.
‘He took care of me really good,’ she reportedly said. ‘It was amazing and delicious.
‘Tiger and I have been sneaking around for the last few days. It’s been really hard - we have a condo at Palm Beach where we go.’
And she reportedly claims Woods, also 34, is a sex addict but is keen to develop their relationship – even talking about having children - once he is divorced.
According to News of the World, Miss Uchitel told a friend: ‘It is definitely over with his wife, they are getting divorced and he’s agreed to give her $300 million (£187million) including all the houses.’
‘He has been sorting things out. We are soulmates. I just want it done. I want to start over again with him.’
Despite shying away from the public gaze, Woods moored his £22million yacht Privacy in view of Miss Uchitel’s family home in Palm Beach over Christmas.
The New York VIP party organiser apparently considers Woods as a ‘superstud able to satisfy her for hours on end’ a source told the Sunday newspaper.
But the source also claims Rachel is ‘freaked out’ that she might lose Woods because of the way she has been portrayed in the scandal.
Her alleged meetings with Woods appeared to have ended by Wednesday as his yacht set sail from the private dock. It is believed to be heading to the Bahamas
Meanwhile, Woods’ wife Elin, 30, was yesterday seen smiling during a day out with her children near their marital home in Windermere, Florida.
She has allegedly cut all ties with her husband and pressing ahead with divorce plans after revelations linking him to 18 mistresses.
It is understood that she intends to start a new life near their old family home in Orlando within the next six months.
Woods has not seen his children - daughter Sam, two, and 10-month-old son Charlie - for a month due to Elin’s alleged concerns about his mental state.
There are conflicting reports over Woods’ future career.
Some claim he may not return to golf until 2012, while others say the World No 1 may compete again within months.
Former coach Butch Harmon yesterday said that he expects the star to play in the U.S. open and The Open at St Andrews this summer.
Tiger woods alleged going to return to golf in 2 months time.
She's endured a difficult month with revelations of her husband's infidelity rocking her apparently perfect marriage.
But, Tiger Woods' estranged wife Elin Nordegren was all smiles on a day out with their children Charlie Axel and Sam Alexis in Windermere, Florida.
The Swedish beauty, who turned 30 on New Year's Day, appeared in high spirits as she was spotted picking up her children - without her wedding ring on.
Dressed in an on-trend leather biker jacket, a checked shirt, ripped denim jeans and a pair of white Converse-style trainers topped off with a pair of aviator shades, Elin displayed none of the stress that she's been under over the past month.
Elin is looking after her children Sam Alexis, 2, and Charlie Axel, 11-months, while Tiger Woods is in hiding.
Woods, 34, disappeared from the public gaze after details of his infidelity hit the headlines last month.
The millionaire golfer admitted he had committed adultery during his 5-year marriage to Nordegren after several women came out of the woodwork to reveal they'd had affairs with him.
But, his former coach Butch Harmon has said that he expects the World No.1 to return to play in the US open and The Open at St Andrews this summer.
Harmon, who coached Woods for 10 years until 2002 told The Sun newspaper: 'Those who say he will never play again are crazy.'
He added: 'I think he will play this year. The reason I say that is two of the Major venues this year - the US Open at Pebble Beach and The Open at St Andrews - are two of his favourite places.'
Harmon further said that the revelations about Woods’ private life have come as a complete surprise to him.
He said: 'This Tiger Woods I'm reading about, I don't know who this guy is. Obviously he has led two lives, one in public and one we didn't know about which was quite strange.
'I think all of us were a little shocked about that. We don't know where Tiger is right now or what he is doing. I just know we miss him.'
Meanwhile, Nordegren is said to have hired Los Angeles-based Sorrell Trope, 82, who boasts of being “one of the pre-eminent family law attorneys in the United States”, with experience in handling big-money, big-name cases.
Past celebrity clients have included Cary Grant, Britney Spears and Nicole Kidman.
On Thursday Elin spent an hour at the Orlando headquarters of ETW Corp., Woods' company and licensing agent, where she supervised the loading of dozens of boxes onto a U-Haul truck and into her own SUV, the Palm Beach Post reported on its website.
In the state of Florida, a wife is entitled to see most of her husband's financial documents in case of a divorce, attorneys tell the newspaper.
It's thought financial documents belonging to the golfer and contracts were the likely contents of the boxes.
The sex scandal that engulfed Tiger Woods may have cost shareholders of companies endorsed by the world's No. 1 golfer up to $12 billion in losses, according to a study by two economics professors from the University of California, Davis.
The study, released on Monday by researchers Victor Stango and Christopher Knittel, gave an estimate for damage to the market value of Woods' main sponsors caused by revelations of alleged extramarital affairs that surfaced after he was involved in a minor car accident outside his Florida home on November 27.
"We estimate that shareholders of Tiger Woods' sponsors lost $5-12 billion after his car accident, relative to shareholders of firms that Mr. Woods does not endorse," the researchers wrote, adding that millions of shareholders were affected.
"Our analysis makes clear that while having a celebrity of Tiger Woods' stature as an endorser has undeniable upside, the downside risk is substantial, too," Stango, a professor at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management, said in a statement released along with the study.
Woods, believed to be the world's wealthiest athlete who was estimated to earn about $100 million a year in endorsement deals before his troubles, confessed on December 11 to "infidelity" to his Swedish wife Elin Nordegren. He announced he would take an indefinite break from golf to save his marriage.
Some of the star golfer's main commercial sponsors have backed away from him as a result of the scandal. Others, while standing by him, have said they are evaluating their future relationship.
STOCK MARKET RETURNS
In their study, the two professors said they looked at stock market returns for the 13 trading days after November 27, the date of the car incident that ignited the Woods scandal.
They compared returns for Woods' sponsors during this period to those of both the total stock market and of each sponsor's closest competitor. They also reviewed returns for four years before the car accident to build up a comparative picture of the sponsors' market performance.
The study looked at sponsors of Tiger Woods for which stock prices were available, in several cases through quoted prices for the parent companies. Sponsors included: Accenture; AT&T; Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf (Electronic Arts); Gillette (Proctor and Gamble); Nike; Gatorade (PepsiCo); TLC Laser Eye Centers.
The report carried a caution that this kind of statistical study might have a "particularly large" margin of error because many sponsors were subsidiaries of larger quoted companies.
Overall, Knittel and Stango concluded that the scandal reduced shareholder value in the sponsor companies by 2.3 percent, or about $12 billion.
They called the results statistically significant and said the overall pattern of losses at the parent companies was unlikely to stem from ordinary day-to-day variation in their stock prices."
"Our findings speak to a larger question of general interest in the business and academic communities: Does celebrity sponsorship have any impact on a firm's bottom line?" Stango and Knittel said in presenting the report.
The scandal saw a parade of more than a dozen women -- from cocktail waitresses to porn stars -- come forward to say they had affairs with the married father of two. Since the start of the scandal, Woods has kept out of sight of the media.
Kultida and Elin look on as Woods is presented with the ceremonial green jacket after he won the 2002 Masters .Kultida Woods says she is 'angry and disappointed' with her son
Tiger Woods' mother has hit out at her son, saying she is 'angry and disappointed' with him, according to a family friend.
However, Kultida Woods has vowed to stand by her 33-year-old son, despite being 'furious' over his infidelity.
'[She] is hurt, angry and disappointed in Tiger,' the friend told People magazine.
'She wants to know how he could do this to his family.'
But, despite reportedly dealing with infidelity in her own marriage, 65-year-old Kultida is trying to forgive her son, according to the source.
'She loves him and will support him through anything, but she needs some time to work through this.'
'It was devastating to her. She likes Elin, and adores her grandchildren.
'She's worried about them. She doesn't want to see them hurt,' said the family friend.
Woods' father, Earl Woods, who died from prostate cancer a couple of years ago, was allegedly unfaithful to Thai-born Kultida several years ago.
The golfer was said to have been 'devastated' when he learned of his father's infidelity.
Kultida's anger comes as Elin Woods prepares for divorce and a custody battle over her and Woods' two young children, Sam, two, and Charlie, ten months.
Woods is thought to have cheated on Elin with up to 14 mistresses.
It is reported the ex-model had been prepared to discuss joint custody arrangements with Woods, but his refusal to see a doctor for his reported sex addiction has prompted Elin, 29, to limit his involvement in the children's lives.
One of Elin's close friends told the Sunday Mirror: 'She can't believe Tiger's behaviour. He says he wants to save the marriage, but he's not doing anything about it.
'He's hiding out like a child and refusing to go to rehab to get the treatment he needs. She's so mad at him, she's flipping out.
'Everyone wants Tiger to get treatment and going down that road was his only real chance of delaying the divorce, but he wouldn't even sit through therapy.
'Elin has had enough now,' the friend told the newspaper. 'She's made up her mind that she's going for custody.'
It is reported that Elin will instruct her lawyer, legendary Hollywood divorce specialist Sorrell Trope, to fight for half of Woods' £340million fortune along with full custody of the children.
But legal experts told the Sunday Mirror Elin is unlikely to win full custody as Woods' home state of Florida is 'dad-friendly' and his serial cheating would not count unless Elin can prove his behaviour made him 'a detriment' to his children.
Click to enlarge.Controversial when UK Judge approve a ban on nude TigerWoods pix from UK newspaper even before seeing the photos.
Tiger with his father, Earl. One of Woods's mistresses has claimed they were still in bed when Tiger received the phone call telling him his father had passed away.Rumour has it tiger father past away effected him in golf and private life.
Elin is reported to be planning to separate from the troubled golf star.Already bought a house in Sweden.Over? Elin Nordgren has reportedly spoken to lawyers about divorcing Woods after Christmas. The last news about Tiger involved with group sex with high class whores.
Dropped: Gillette has axed Woods from its advertising campaigns, putting his £7million contract at risk
Indiscretions: Tiger is alleged to have slept with, clockwise from top left, Jaimee Grubbs, Holly Sampson, Jamie Jungers, Mindy Lawton, Loredana Jolie, Rachel Uchitel, Kalika Moquin and Cori Ris
Child protection officers, escorted by police, are said to have visited Tiger Woods's home over the weekend following allegations that he and his wife had a violent row over his affairs.
It is routine for investigators from the Florida Department of Children and Families to check the safety of a home after a suspected domestic violence incident.
There is no suggestion that Woods and his wife Elin risk losing custody of their children Sam, two, and ten-month-old Charlie.
But the visit, reported by the well-connected RadarOnline website, will do nothing to ease the jitters among sponsors competing in puritanical U.S. markets.
Gillette and the global management consultancy Accenture are the latest to distance themselves from the scandal-plagued golfer. Woods, 33, has announced that he is taking an indefinite break from golf - a decision which industry analysts estimate could cost him £110million in lost endorsements, tournament winnings and appear ance fees next year.
He says he wants to focus on being 'a better husband, father and person'. Yet the scandal is showing no signs of abating more than a fortnight after he crashed his car when his enraged Swedish wife reportedly chased after him with a golf club.
There were reports yesterday that Elin, 29, is planning to dump him after Christmas because she wants their children to enjoy the festive season before she insists on a trial separation. He was said still to be in touch with New York nightclub promoter Rachel Uchitel, 34, the first of at least a dozen women now said to have been his mistresses.
She was quoted as telling a friend: 'Tiger and I are still together no matter what. He said we have to wait a couple of weeks before we can meet up again. But I am his Number One girl. The media are putting me out there like I am some whore but that's not what I'm about.'
Following reports that Woods enjoyed sex with two women at once, she was asked if she had taken part in ' threesomes'.
She reportedly said: 'Every once in a while we'd pick up a girl in a bar, a pretty girl. It was nothing serious, nothing crazy, just normal stuff. We had fun.'
She said she was stunned at revelations about his other mistresses, adding: 'I thought I was the only one.'
Another of Woods's mistresses, 26-year-old Las Vegas bikini model Jamie Jungers, claimed she had sex with him in his marital bed on the night his father died of cancer. Woods allegedly got a call telling him his 74-year-old father, Earl, was dead while he was in bed with Miss Jungers. 'I was beside him wearing nothing but a pair of panties,' she was quoted as saying yesterday.
She added: 'There were recent pictures of him and Elin, as well as their wedding photos. That did make me feel bad for his wife. I'd hate someone to do that to me.'
In yet another report, an unnamed woman in her forties is said to have engaged a lawyer and is allegedly claiming she tried unsuccessfully for years to become pregnant by Woods.
There were unsubstantiated claims last week that Woods might have fathered an illegitimate child and that one woman had an abortion.
The steady stream of tawdry allegations is fast slicing into his billion-dollar financial empire. Gillette said: 'As Tiger takes a break from the public eye, we will support his desire for privacy by limiting his role in our marketing programmes.'
Accenture said it would not continue its sponsorship agreement, thought to be worth £6million a year, because 'he is no longer the right representative'.
In his last interview before the scandal broke, Woods was asked by a New Zealand TV station whether he always put family first and golf second. He answered: 'Always.'
