Tiger waits it out

Forget about any news conference tomorrow. Forget about his playing in the Chevron World Challenge in Thousand Oaks this week. Woods cited injuries from his car crash early Friday morning in withdrawing from his own event (here's the LAT story). Not a big surprise - Tiger Woods seldom says anything that puts him in an awkward spot. When he has to deliver not-so-great news, it's usually done via prepared statement on his Web site (as happened in today's announcement). Looks like he's prepared to sit tight in the belief that the frenzy will blow over. It's a risky strategy, especially with the National Enquirer promising more revelations, but it might be the best one under the circumstances. After all, what is he supposed to say? That his wife beat him up after finding out that he was cheating on her? (That's what some blogs are intimating, without any evidence of course.) Anyway, the MSM continues to treat the adultery angle with kid gloves. NY magazine, however, posts that the alleged mistress, Rachel Uchitel, was indeed bragging about sleeping with Tiger.

We've asked around, and the people we've talked to say she was definitely claiming to have slept with him. "Rachel had told many friends of hers that she was sleeping with Tiger," said one nightlife source who is friendly with her. "She would subtly drop hints and sometimes talk about it openly."

Not exactly anything I'd take to court, but the Enquirer has a pretty good batting average on these kinds of stories. Meanwhile, Uchitel has denied any affair. "I don't appreciate my name or what people think of me being dragged through the mud by people who don't even bother to research what or who they're talking about," she said.