HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Golfers Ben Crane and Charles Warren are fighting back after a tabloid printed quotes from each of them that were critical of Tiger Woods — except nobody ever interviewed them.
“This is unbelievable,” Crane told the Associated Press of the article in question, which was posted on the Life & Style Weekly magazine Web site. “I never said a word about anything. They print this and put my name next to it.”
In the story, Crane is quoted as saying that Woods is a “phony and a fake” and that the embattled golfer’s wife, Elin Nordegren, knew about allegations of extramarital affairs. It also quotes Warren as saying that Nordegren “had stars in her eyes and maybe dollar signs too” and that she would be wise to divorce Woods.
“I have not spoken to Life & Style magazine, so there is no story here,” Warren told AP.
An official for the magazine told Crane’s agent that the purported interviews took place at last week’s PGA Tour Qualifying tournament in West Palm Beach, Fla., an even that neither Crane nor Warren attended.
“We sent an experienced freelance reporter to a golf tournament attended by several PGA pros,” the magazine told AP in a statement. “Our reporter spoke with two golfers who presented themselves as Ben Crane and Charles Warren. We are taking these claims very seriously and investigating further.”
Woods, 33, has been under the microscope ever since a single-car accident outside his home on Nov. 27. The accident came shortly after the National Enquirer published a story alleging that the PGA star was having an affair with Rachel Uchitel, a New York nightclub manager.
Since the first affair allegation, several more women have stepped forward claiming to have engaged in sexual trysts with Woods, including former VH1 Tool Academy contestant Jaimee Grubbs.
Last week, Woods admitted to “transgressions,” but he did not elaborate in a statement released on his Web site.
