Fine, points on license for Woods over SUV crash

Fine, points on license for Woods over SUV crash

ORLANDO, Fla. — All Tiger Woods has to do is pay a $164 fine — less than a round of golf at Torrey Pines — and his dealings with Florida authorities over his infamous car accident will be over.

What hasn’t ended is the public’s fascination with his private life, which may get more complicated. Us Weekly magazine, which hits newsstands Wednesday, features a cover story alleging that a Los Angeles cocktail waitress had a 31-month affair with the world’s No. 1 golfer — and that the proof was in 300 text messages.

Last week, just two days before Woods crashed his SUV into a fire hydrant and tree, the National Enquirer published a story alleging that Woods had been seeing a New York nightclub hostess, and that they were recently together in Melbourne, where Woods competed in the Australian Masters.

The woman, Rachel Uchitel, denied having an affair with Woods when contacted by The Associated Press.

The world’s most famous athlete will be cited for careless driving outside his home in the exclusive gated community of Isleworth. It will cost him four points on his driver’s license, but he will not face criminal charges, the Florida Highway Patrol said Tuesday.

Woods, who was briefly unconscious after the crash, never spoke with investigators. Instead, he provided his driver’s license, vehicle registration and proof of insurance to investigators, as required by Florida law.

The patrol "is not pursuing criminal charges in this matter nor is there any testimony or other evidence to support any additional charges of any kind other than the charge of careless driving," said Sgt. Kim Montes, a spokesman for the highway patrol. "Despite the celebrity status of Mr. Woods, the Florida Highway Patrol has completed its investigation in the same professional manner it strives to complete each traffic investigation."

After consulting with the local prosecutor’s office, investigators also decided there was insufficient evidence to issue a subpoena that would have given them access to records from his hospital visit after the crash, Montes said.

Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, declined comment on the fine and the Us Weekly story.

For days, tabloids and gossip Web sites have speculated about what happened leading up to the 2:25 a.m. wreck last Friday, including a possible dispute between Woods and his wife, Elin Nordegren, who told Windermere police she used a golf club to smash the back windows to help him out.

"There are no claims of domestic violence by any individual," Montes said.

An attorney for the neighbors who called 911 said Woods did not appear to be driving under the influence and showed no signs of having been in a fight.

Attorney Bill Sharpe said the Adams family found Nordegren kneeling beside her husband, upset about his injuries. Sharpe said Woods appeared woozy and had scratches on his face and that his wife was trying to console him. The Adamses wrapped Woods in a blanket and made sure he didn’t move.

Woods withdrew Monday from his own golf tournament in California, citing injuries from the crash.

By skipping his tournament, Woods hoped to escape the TV cameras and a horde of media seeking more details. The event was to be the last of the year for Woods anyway, and he did not say when or where he would make his return next year.

For the time being, he is getting more media attention than when he won the 1997 Masters and set off the first wave of Tigermania.

According to Us Weekly, Jaimee Grubbs said she was 21 when she was approached by Woods at a Las Vegas nightclub, on April 13, 2007 — which would have been five days after he finished second at the Masters and two months before the birth of his first child.

The magazine said the meeting "progressed into a clandestine on-and-off affair" that lasted nearly three years and included hundreds of texts.

"I hope he can forgive me for doing this and I know he probably can’t," Grubbs is quoted as saying. "Whatever happens with Elin, I hope Tiger and I can reconnect and remain good friends."

An AP reporter went to a residence in Escondido, Calif., seeking comment from Grubbs. A person who identified himself as "Cody," who came to the door but didn’t open it, said she wasn’t there.

Grubbs recently appeared on VH1’s reality series, "Tool Academy."

Highway patrol statement about Woods’ car crash

ORLANDO, Fla. — Following is the statement released by the Florida Highway Patrol about Tiger Woods’ car crash:

The Florida Highway Patrol has concluded its investigation of the vehicle crash involving Mr. Tiger Woods. The investigation has determined that Mr. Woods is at fault in the crash. This afternoon, FHP issued a uniform traffic citation for careless driving to Mr. Woods.

Any person operating a vehicle upon the streets and highways within the state is required by law to drive in a careful and prudent manner so as not to endanger the life, limb, or property of any person. Failure to drive in such a manner is defined as careless driving. Careless driving is a moving violation and upon conviction may result in a fine of $164 and four points on a driver’s record.

This was a single vehicle crash, with a single occupant. Unfortunately, it is one of thousands that occur in our state each year. Mr. Woods has satisfied the requirements of Florida law by providing his driver license, registration and proof of insurance to us. With the issuance of the citation, the Florida Highway Patrol has completed its investigation into this matter.

The FHP is not pursing criminal charges in this matter, nor is there any testimony or other evidence to support additional charges of any kind. After reviewing the evidence available to us, and in consultation with the Office of State Attorney Lawson Lamar, it was determined that there was insufficient evidence available to issue a subpoena for additional medical information that may exist in this case. We cannot speak to the existence of any blood evidence, nor are there claims of domestic violence by any individual.

The Florida Highway Patrol will not conduct additional press conferences or interviews on this matter.

A copy of the crash investigation report is a matter of public record and will be finalized and available to members of the media by noon tomorrow for $10. Additionally, a supplemental package of all photographs taken at the scene is available as a matter of public record for a fee of $105. Media representatives wishing to obtain these documents in person may contact the Florida Highway Patrol Office located at 133 South Semoran Blvd., Suite A, Orlando, FL 32807.

Media representatives wishing to obtain these documents via e-mail must submit a certification form attesting to your eligibility as a member of the media, and a form with the required credit card information to facilitate payment. Requesters should submit both forms to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles headquarters in Tallahassee via fax at (850) 617-5108. The Department will e-mail the requested information to the requester as soon as possible upon receipt of payment in the order in which we receive the requests.

Commentary: Tiger car crash: Nobody’s business but his own

PARIS — In 2004, while golfing in Ireland, Tiger Woods found himself fielding questions from reporters more interested in his private life than his swing. They wanted to know if it was true that he was about to wed his fiancee, Swedish model Elin Nordegren.

Woods, just as he is now, hit those nosey folks into the rough.

"You guys would be the last people I’d ever tell," he said.

Good for him. Woods has long made it abundantly clear that much of what he does off the golf course is nobody’s business but his own. Regardless of how curious we may be about the mysterious circumstances surrounding his car crash last Friday, there’s no reason that he should bare all in public now.

If Woods and Nordegren had promoted themselves as a model of marital bliss and made their fortune selling "10 Hints for a Happy Home" self-help guides, then we could legitimately claim an interest in knowing whether their marriage has hit the rocks and whether a husband-wife squabble prompted Woods to flee in his car at 2:25 in the morning.

But since Mr. and Mrs. Woods have always taken pains to largely keep themselves to themselves, they owe us nothing, not a peep.

Saying, as Woods has, that his accident "is a private matter and I want to keep it that way" may be unwise, because it invites the storm of guesswork, media digging and questions he is now facing. But silence most certainly is his right.

If Woods was motoring off for a late-night rendezvous with a steroid dealer, which no one is even remotely suggesting, then sports enthusiasts would be entitled to know that the world’s No. 1 golfer is a fraud. But if Woods was simply unable to sleep, was still jet-lagged from his trip to China and Australia two weeks beforehand, had a hankering for a hamburger, had a bust-up, or whatever it was, there is no rule that says he has to explain himself publicly if no laws were broken.

"This situation is my fault, and it’s obviously embarrassing to my family and me," he says. But he is not obliged to tell us why.

One of the more absurd arguments often made about the rich and famous is that being in the public eye also makes them public property. That spurious reasoning is especially applied to celebrities like Woods who make mountains of money from endorsements. In selling their name and image to advertisers, this line of thinking goes, they’ve sold out and that makes them ours.

Wrong. Purchasing a razor, drink or sportswear endorsed by Woods doesn’t buy you a piece of the man, too. That Woods is on his way to becoming or has already become the first athlete to top $1 billion in earnings says plenty about how easily led consumers are. But it doesn’t entitle them to know everything that Woods does behind closed doors.

Image consultants argue that if Woods’ personal life is in turmoil, then it would be best that he come clean. Do a David Letterman.

But there are crucial differences between Woods and the talk-show host, who confessed on his show that he had had sexual relationships with women who worked with him.

First, Letterman has made a career of mocking politicians mercilessly, often for their sexual transgressions, so the television-watching public had a right to know that he is as equally weak as those he pokes fun at.

Also, Letterman said that someone tried to extort $2 million from him over the affairs. So his hand was forced. What worked for Letterman wouldn’t necessarily work for Woods.

"It really boils down to what you want, what is best for you," says veteran British PR guru Max Clifford.

And then there’s the issue of what this whole saga says about us, the gossip-gobbling public.

If we’re honest, we’ll admit that we want Woods to talk not because we think it will do him good but because we get a kick from seeing celebrities brought down a peg or two — down to our level, warts and all.

Ha! They may be rich, but they too have cellulite, affairs, divorces — they are no better than you or me, we think. It makes us feel better about ourselves knowing that no one, not even Woods, is an exception to the rule that all humans have flaws. Often, we don’t even care whether the gossip columns are true, as long as they are titillating and make a train ride or a wait in the doctor’s office pass more quickly.

So forgive Woods for not wanting to feed this unhealthy curiosity.

John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jleicester@ap.org.

On The Fringe: Tiger's silence is nothing new

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Whether he's standing on the tee or staying in his house, Tiger Woods calculates his every move.

Talk of Tiger buzzing at tournament

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — His interview over, Padraig Harrington was leaving the media center at the Chevron World Challenge when he passed Lee Westwood and offered some tips.

"Would you like to know what questions are being asked?" Harrington said.

Westwood smiled and said, "I imagine there’s only one."

Tiger Woods’ presence is larger than ever, even if he isn’t coming to his own tournament. As most players were getting ready to practice Tuesday, TV sets were tuned to a press conference in Florida, where state troopers declared the investigation into his Nov. 27 early morning crash was over and that Woods would be cited for careless driving and fined $164.

Then came a Us Weekly story with a woman claiming to have text messages and voice mails from an affair with Woods that began more than two years ago. That magazine cover story comes less than a week after the National Enquirer published a story alleging that Woods had been seeing New York nightclub hostess Rachel Uchitel, who has denied it.

"There’s lot of questions that we’re never going to get the answers to, and the fact that he is the No. 1 sports star in the world means that there is going to be a higher profile to those things," Harrington said. "It is what it is because of how good he is, and he’ll have to deal with it. I don’t know exactly what the truth of it all is, and the thing is, I don’t think anybody is ever going to know exactly what’s gone on. And that’s probably a good thing.

"But it won’t stop people from guessing and questioning things like that," he said. "That’s human nature. We’re intrigued by other people’s lives."

Most players, even those who are close to Woods, have not heard from him and don’t know what to think, much less say.

"I haven’t talked to him," said Mark O’Meara, who took him under his wing when Woods turned pro at age 20 in 1996.

Steve Stricker went undefeated with Woods as his partner at the Presidents Cup, and their wives walked together in some of those matches. He usually gets a quick answer when he sends a text message from Woods. This time, not a peep.

"Since I haven’t heard back, I imagine he’s in — I don’t know the right word — a lot of pain," Stricker said. "And I don’t even know what that means. I don’t know what it’s all about. I just feel bad for the guy. He’s getting hammered in the media."

The tournament now has taken a supporting role to the drama being played out inside the gates of Isleworth, where Woods crashed his SUV into a fire hydrant and tree, and in celebrity magazines.

NBC Sports will be televising the tournament this week, and executive producer Tommy Roy said he could not say how the network will cover Woods’ absence.

"We’ll have to see what further happens in the story," Roy said. "Between now and when we come on the air Saturday, that’s a lot of time. We have a golf tournament to cover. It’s too early to determine what we’ll do."

Greg McLaughlin, president of the Tiger Woods Foundation and tournament director, said sponsor Chevron would have liked Woods to be part of the tournament, "but they respect his decision, they support his decision."

Asked if he had spoken to Woods, McLaughlin paused and said, "It’s not appropriate for me to talk about Tiger."

The players don’t want to talk, either, although they anticipated such questions when they came to California.

"It’s difficult for me to comment, because I only know what you know — probably less than what you know," Westwood said. "I was shocked when I heard it was a serious accident, then relieved to here he had been released from the hospital. Other than that, the rest is speculation and people putting their own assumption to things. I have no time for all that, and I don’t want to be part of it."

Even in such an individual sport, there is a camaraderie that exists — Americans and Europeans, the No. 1 player and No. 120 player — because ultimately, the competition is between the player and the course.

British Open champion Stewart Cink pointed out that it still can be a lonely game, far different from football and baseball teams.

"It’s hard when you don’t have that built-in framework of the team, when you can sort of absorb yourself into a jersey," Cink said. "Out here, you’re an island. When you play great, you’re an island. When you play poorly, you’re an island. And when you have some attention off the course that you’d rather not have, then you’re an island."

Woods is not likely to play again until the San Diego Invitational at Torrey Pines, which starts Jan. 28. Some players still have the Shark Shootout next week in Florida, others will open their season the first week of January in Hawaii.

Chances are, Woods will remain a topic of conversation.

"When you’re the biggest sports star in the world, that goes with the territory," Harrington said. "You create these stories, and in six weeks’ time, it might be somebody else’s story. We’ll have to wait and see what evolves. But the one thing that’s for sure, we’ll all be watching. As I said, that’s human nature."

-- Doug Ferguson

Woods’ crash hampers wealthy neighbors’ privacy

WINDERMERE, Fla. — The professional athletes, bold-faced celebrities and corporate moguls who live in Tiger Woods’ neighborhood favor it less for its clay tennis courts and Arnold Palmer-designed golf course than for its 8-foot security wall and platoon of private guards.

Among the many Isleworth amenities — sprawling outdoor sculptures, picturesque lakes, an 89,000-square-foot clubhouse — the one its well-to-do residents value most is its privacy. That’s been harder to maintain since Friday, when the world’s top golfer and most famous athlete smashed his Cadillac SUV into a fire hydrant and a tree as he pulled out of his driveway in the middle of the night.

Woods’ crash outside his multimillion-dollar home near Orlando has drawn a media mob to the exclusive 300-family community, or more specifically, to its gated checkpoints. Visitors can only get past the Spanish-tiled gatehouse at the main entrance if a resident gives their name to a guard. The white-shirted guards in quasi-police uniforms then check visitors’ IDs to verify names on the list.

More than a dozen television trucks were camped outside Monday as almost 100 reporters, photographers and TV crew members filmed residents’ comings and goings. TV helicopters hovered overhead.

And the media are likely to stay until they get answers to where Woods was headed at 2:25 a.m. and what caused the crash. Woods, who briefly lost consciousness and was treated for cuts and bruises at a hospital, has issued two short statements through his Web site and has declined to talk with the Florida Highway Patrol.

In his statements, the famously insular golfer called the accident embarrassing and asked the public to respect — what else? — his privacy.

It’s the second time in three months his community has made national news. In September, a prominent developer having money problems was accused of fatally shooting his wife in their home, which was once owned by Palmer.

Bob Ward is charged with second-degree murder in the death of his 55-year-old wife, Diane. He has pleaded not guilty and is free on a $100,000 bond.

In a state that boasts locales such as Miami Beach and Key West, there are ritzier, more exotic spots than Isleworth, which sits on old orange groves amid central Florida swamps.

Yet since the neighborhood’s development in the 1980s, it has attracted sports stars and celebrities by the dozen. Former and current residents include Shaquille O’Neal, Penny Hardaway and Dee Brown from the NBA; baseball star Ken Griffey Jr.; Andre Reed of the NFL; former Wimbledon doubles champion Todd Woodbridge; and actor Wesley Snipes.

Orlando Magic forward Vince Carter has lived in Isleworth long before he came to the NBA franchise this season. Carter, who grew up in Daytona Beach, said he chose the community as a place where he can relax.

"I like quiet. I like being a little out of the way," Carter said.

Carter also said he sympathizes with Woods, who has attended Magic games in the past with courtside seats.

So many PGA golfers live in Isleworth that the neighborhood fields a team each year to play in a tournament against a rival luxury neighborhood in metro Orlando. Isleworth’s Tavistock Cup team this year included Mark O’Meara, Stuart Appleby, Darren Clarke, John Cook, J.B. Holmes, Charles Howell III and Woods, among other pros. Florida doesn’t have a state income tax and there are nearby numerous world-class courses where they can practice.

Pro athletes are specifically attracted to Isleworth, where new homes range from $1.5 million to $8 million, "because of the security and the class of the whole place and its accessibility to the airport," said Joyce McClane, a retiree and one of Isleworth’s earliest residents. She bought a lot in the neighborhood with her husband in 1987.

For Kyung Hee Yoon, the appeal is security. She and her radiologist husband bought a $2.5 million home five years ago after moving to central Florida from New York. Having celebrity neighbors such as the PGA’s Appleby was almost an afterthought, she said.

"It is actually not really a big deal," she said. "I sometimes see (famous) people but it doesn’t bother me. They’re just treated like neighbors."

-- Mike Schneider

Attorney: Woods' wife asked neighbors to call 911

ORLANDO, Fla. — Tiger Woods did not appear to be driving under the influence and showed no signs of having been in a fight in the minutes after his car crash outside his mansion, an attorney for the neighbors who dialed 911 said Tuesday.