Independent.ie > Lifestyle > Independent Woman > Celeb News

Clean-cut star whose raw talent made him a billionaire

Javascript is needed to use most of these tools:

Print
Text size

By Philip Sherwell in New York
Monday Nov 30 2009

He is the first billion-dollar earning sportsman, whose skills on the fairway and the green have long been the subject of chatter at 19th holes around the world.

But this weekend, the talk was all about how Tiger Woods came to be lying bleeding and dazed in the street after his wife said she had rescued him from his car by smashing a window with a golf club after a crash in the early hours of the morning.

There were initial fears for Woods' career after reports that he had sustained serious injuries. He was unconscious for six minutes and bleeding from his mouth, according to an emergency call report compiled by police.

But after he was released from hospital in "good condition", questions turned to the unusual circumstances of an accident that came on the heels of tabloid reports about his personal life.

For a famously private individual, whose brand is built as much on his wholesome reputation as a clean-living family man as his sporting prowess, it is the last publicity he would wish for.

Affair

Yesterday, a party events organiser denied reports in the 'National Enquirer' that she was having an affair with Woods. "God forbid Tiger got into a car wreck because of this false report of him having an affair," Rachel Uchitel said.

"Despite it being completely untrue, it still must certainly have caused some problems at home -- if I was his wife, I probably would have killed him."

Ms Uchitel, whose fiance died in the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York, was romantically linked to a married US television actor last year.

The Hollywood entertainment website tmz.com claimed that Woods had argued with his wife after she confronted him about the allegations and that she had chased after his car.

The accident has cast an unwelcome spotlight on the off-course life of a star who has avoided the scandal and pitfalls that often dog sports players living in the media glare.

His next public appearance -- which would be the first time the extent of those facial lacerations will become clear -- is scheduled this week at a charity golf tournament he holds near his birthplace in southern California.

When Woods won the FedEx Cup title in September, 'Forbes' magazine estimated that he became the first sportsman to cross the billion-dollar threshold for prize money, sponsorship, appearance fees, bonuses and golf course design.

He has endorsement contracts with companies including Gatorade, Gillette and Rolex, but the most lucrative deal is with Nike. It added a golf division on the back of the partnership that now has sales of $800m (€532m) a year and it pays him $30m (€20m) annually.

His value to the sports industry was illustrated when he recently missed eight months' play, recovering from reconstructive surgery on his left knee. Revenues and attendances for major golf tournaments dropped by an estimated 40pc during his absence. Woods has won six tournaments, though no majors, since his return this year. (© Daily Telegraph, London)

- Philip Sherwell in New York

Irish Independent