Art Spander - Sports Commentary

By NEWSDAY.com STAFF
and THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
With Art Spander
SPECIAL TO NEWSDAY

LOS ANGELES -- A lawyer for Rachel Uchitel, the Hamptons nightclub hostess who denied having an affair with Tiger Woods, has canceled a news conference that had been scheduled for Thursday in Los Angeles.

Attorney Gloria Allred’s office says in a statement that the news conference has been canceled due to unforeseen circumstances. The statement does not elaborate on the circumstances.

Allred told The Associated Press in a brief telephone interview that there will be no further statements on the matter.

Allred earlier had planned to make a statement about Rachel Uchitel’s relationship with Woods.

Last week, the National Enquirer published a story alleging the world’s No. 1 golfer had been seeing Uchitel, a New York nightclub hostess, and that they recently were together in Melbourne, where Woods competed in the Australian Masters.

Uchitel denied having an affair with Woods when contacted by The Associated Press and in an interview with the New York Post.

"This is ridiculous," she told the Post. "Not a word of it is true ... I told the Enquirer and Star that it wasn't true. I told them not only did I have information to disprove the story, but I offered to take a lie-detector test.

"It's the most ridiculous story. It's like they are asking me to comment if there are aliens on Earth."

Woods has faced intense media scrutiny after a car accident outside his home early last Friday and sordid allegations of affairs.

On Wednesday, Woods broke his silence and acknowledged he had “not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves.”

Most of Woods' fellow golfers have also stayed silent. But Jesper Parnevik, who with his wife, Mia, introduced Woods to his wife, Nordegren, told the Golf Channel, "I really feel sorry for Elin."

Woods' wife was working as a nanny for the Parneviks when they introduced her to Woods during the 2001 British Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. The couple married in 2004.

"We probably thought he was a better guy than he is,'' Parnevik said.
Alluding to reports Nordegren bashed Woods' Cadillac with a golf club, he added, "I would probably need to apologize to her and hope she uses a driver next time instead of a three-iron.''

The reports on the two other women include:

-- Jaimee Grubbs, a Las Vegas cocktail waitress, who said she had a 31-month relationship with Woods, and released a recorded voice mail that she said was left by Woods in which he tells her his wife might be calling her soon.

-- Kalika Moquin, a nightclub promoter in Las Vegas, also had a relationship with Woods, according to a story in Life & Style magazine.

In the wake of the accident and scrutiny, Woods has opted to sit out his annual pro-am golf tournament.

The pros in the pro-am of the $7.5-million Chevron World Challenge, the tournament which benefits Woods' foundation, were less critical of Woods.

"I think his image is going to take a little bit of a shot,'' said Steve Stricker of Woods. "I'd like to see him come on TV and just pour it out a little bit and show what happened.''

The Chevron, limited to 18 pros, starts Thursday. Stricker finished second last year. A month and a half ago he partnered with Woods in the Presidents Cup in San Francisco.

"People forget,'' said Stricker about Woods' difficulties. "And if he does the right things from now on, people will forgive . . . I'm sure he will bounce back.''

Tournament officials announced that because Woods, No. 1 in the world rankings, is not playing they would issue refunds for tickets previously purchased.

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