Oprah chasing Tiger Woods interview

Reuters

TIGER TALK: Talk show host Oprah Winfrey is seeking to be the first to interview Tiger Woods since his crash and news of the alleged extramarital affairs emerged.

AP

LINKED: Rachel Uchitel, the woman linked to Tiger Woods by The National Enquirer.

AP

TROUBLED TIMES: Tiger Woods with his wife, Elin Nordegren, at the opening ceremonies for the Presidents Cup.

Tiger Woods' crashed Cadillac SUV

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AP/Florida Highway Patrol Zoom

A Florida Highway Patrol photo of damage to Tiger Woods' Cadillac SUV.

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Talk show host Oprah Winfrey heads a list of those chasing the first interview with Tiger Woods since allegations of extramarital affairs surfaced.

While Winfrey, a personal friend of Woods, has sought the interview, she hasn't called him.

"I do know there was a blog report that Oprah had personally called Mr Woods himself - that is not true," Don Halcombe, a spokesman for The Oprah Winfrey Show told USA Today.

ESPN and the Golf Channel also told USA Today that they have requested interviews.

"As you would expect in a situation like this, we are pursuing it through all possible avenues," ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz said, according to the newspaper.

Golf Channel spokesman Dan Higgins said: "Regardless of recent events, we're always looking for opportunities to talk with Tiger".

Meanwhile, Associated Press today reported that the police officer who responded to Tiger Woods' SUV accident found two iron golf clubs on the ground and $235 in the vehicle.

The Windermere officer said in a report released today (NZ time) that Woods was at first unresponsive, lying on the road covered in a blanket and resting his head on a pillow. The officer, whose name was removed from the report, said the world's No. 1 golfer tried to stand up before the officer told him to lie down for his safety. The officer used the pillow to immobilise the golfer's spine.

Woods was bleeding from cut lips but was breathing normally. His wife, Elin, was kneeling over him.

The sport utility vehicle's engine was still running, the front passenger door was jammed and both rear door windows were broken out. The two golf clubs were next to a golf cart, which also was in the road, the report said.

Woods hit a hydrant and a tree around 2:25am. His wife told police she used a golf club to smash the back windows of the SUV to help him out. The accident - and Woods' refusal to answer questions about it - fueled speculation about a possible dispute between the golfer and his wife.

Just days before the crash, a National Enquirer story alleged Woods had been seeing a New York nightclub hostess, Rachel Uchitel, who has denied it. After the crash, Us Weekly reported that a Los Angeles cocktail waitress named Jaimee Grubbs claims she had a 31-month affair with Woods.

The Telegraph today claimed that a financial deal was under way to secure Ms Uchitel's silence.

Website Radaronline quoted friends of Ms Uchitel claiming that her sexual encounters with Woods were allegedly fuelled by a prescription sleeping drug, Ambien (which is said to enhance sex in the minutes after it is taken).

Last week, Woods issued a statement saying he had let his family down with unspecified "transgressions" that he regrets with "all of my heart." He did not elaborate.

Meanwhile, Ms Grubbs said she had racy texts and voice messages to prove she had had a 31-month affair with Woods.

The latest claims come as lawyers for Woods and Ms Nordegren negotiate an upgrade of the ''prenuptial'' agreement signed before their Barbados wedding in 2004.

While it is usually divorce that hits the famous hard in their wallets, Woods will have to dig deep just to keep the mother of his two young children married to him.

Ms Nordegren will receive an immediate $US5 million ($A5.46 million), with staggered payments worth up to an additional $US55 million if she stays with her husband for another two years, a lawyer familiar with the negotiations told The Daily Beast website.

The officer's report was released Monday in response to state public records requests. It showed the cash was in the center console of Woods' Cadillac Escalade.

Florida Highway Patrol investigators arrived at the scene after Woods had been taken to a hospital, the report said, explaining why they were unable to interview the golfer at the accident site. In the days after the accident, investigators made three attempts to interview Woods, but he refused to meet with them.

The Florida Highway Patrol last week closed its inquiry into the November 27 crash, after fining the golfer US$164. Woods was cited for careless driving.

- © Fairfax NZ News