Tiger Woods has reacted with fury after a Dublin magazine printed topless photos of a woman which it wrongly claimed it was the superstar golfer’s wife.
Woods and the United States team are said to be "appalled" by the article in the latest issue of the Dubliner, which portrays the players’ wives and girlfriends as cheap on the eve of the Ryder Cup.
The photograph purporting to be of Woods’s wife Elin Nordegren appears in the September issue of the listings magazine. Under the headline "Ryder Cup filth for Ireland" is a picture of a topless woman.
The article continues: "Most American golfers are married to women who cannot keep their clothes on in public. Is it too much to ask that they leave them at home for the Ryder Cup?
"Consider the evidence – Tiger Woods’s wife Elin Nordegren – pictured left – can be found in a variety of sweaty poses on porn sites across the web…"
But the photo is not of the 26-year-old Swedish model. Sources close to the American team said Woods was dismayed at the publication and other members of the US side were very unhappy.
It goes on to claim that Chad Campbell’s wife Amy is a " largechested singer" and suggests that Jim Furyk’s wife Tabitha " married geeky Jim as his winnings hit £10 million". The piece also says Sonya Toms, wife of David, finds it "liberating" to wear her bikini around the house.
The magazine has been banned from the team’s hotel.
Both sets of wives were today scheduled to attend a lunch in their honour during a Ryder Cup Race Day at the Curragh course.
The controversy comes as the WABs (Wives and Birdies) have pledged to maintain a low profile.