Tiger Woods had surgery after enraged wife clubbed him in face with 9-Iron: U.S. sportswriter

BY STAFF, CANWEST NEWS SERVICE

Enraged over reports of her husband's philandering ways and set off by the discovery of an "incriminating" text message, Elin Nordegren smashed Tiger Woods in the face with a 9-iron on Thanksgiving Day and then chased a bleeding and woozy Woods as he fled from his Florida home, a prominent sportswriter relays in a Boxing Day blog that has caught the attention of celebrity gadfly Perez Hilton.

Furman Bisher, a retired sports columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution who has covered every Kentucky Derby since 1950, posts on his blog, located here, what he says is a "legitimate message" he received from a "trustworthy journalist" he has known for years.

The source tells Bisher that Woods wasn't home when Florida State Troopers came to question him following the crash outside his home because he had already been whisked away to Phoenix, where he underwent reconstructive surgery to repair the damage to his face, which included a gash to the right side near the nose, a broken facial bone and damaged teeth.

According to Bisher's source, Tiger was kicking back and watching football after turkey dinner on that fateful day, texting his alleged mistress Rachel Uchitel about the National Enquirer story that trumpeted their alleged affair, when things began to unravel for the world's No. 1 golfer.

A friend of Woods invited him to play poker and he left for the game, leaving his cell phone behind, replete with a text message from Uchitel he neglected to delete, according to Bisher's source.

When Woods returned about midnight, according to the source, Nordegren confronted Woods and eventually blindsided him with a golf club. She chased a frantic Tiger through the house, causing significant damage to the interior of their home, and then chased Tiger as he fled in the Escalade, smashing out the windows.

Following the crash, the source continued, Nordegren phoned Woods' agent and accompanied Woods in the ambulance to hospital.

The source also claims that Woods is receiving sympathy from legendary golfer Arnold Palmer and that Woods is living in Palmer's Bay Hill neighbourhood, where he hits balls late at night beneath the lights at a driving range.

It will be at least a month before Woods is seen in public, the source said, because his injuries need time to heal.