Woods Speaks Out about Chamblee


For the first time, Tiger Woods has spoken publicly about the insinuations of cheating made against him by Brandel Chamblee. In an October 15 article on Golf.com, Chamblee, also an analyst for Golf Channel, gave Woods an "F" despite his five-win season and No. 1-ranked position because of a series of rules violations.

In the article in which he also graded 13 other PGA Tour players, Chamblee wrote down an "A" but crossed it out and replaced it with the failing mark, adding that Woods was "a little cavalier with the rules."

Last week, Chamblee, a former Tour player, backtracked, writing in a series of posts on his Twitter account, "My intention was to note Tiger's rules infractions this year, but comparing that to cheating in grade school went too far."

"What brought me here was the realization that my comments inflamed an audience on two sides of an issue. Golf is a gentleman's game and I'm not proud of this debate. I want to apologize to Tiger for this incited discourse."

Woods has been silent throughout the entire brouhaha, until Monday at Mission Hills Golf Club in China, where he played a one-on-one exhibition match with Rory McIlroy.

"All I am going to say is that I know I am going forward," Woods said before the match. "But then, I don't know what the Golf Channel is going to do or not. But then that's up to them. The whole issue has been very disappointing as he didn't really apologize and he sort of reignited the whole situation.

"So the ball really is in the court of the Golf Channel and what they are prepared to do."

Golf Channel, which is not affiliated with Golf.com, has not commented on the controversy. Chamblee has said he has not asked by anyone to apologize, and that his Twitter remarks were his alone.

In an email he sent to The Associated Press last week, Chamblee noted he never said outright that he thinks Woods cheated, and that was by design.

"I think 'cavalier with the rules' allows for those with a dubious opinion of the BMW video," Chamblee said. "My teacher in the fourth grade did not have a dubious opinion of how I complete the test. But she was writing to one, and as I was writing to many, I felt it important to allow for the doubt some might have, so I chose my words accordingly.

"What people want to infer about that is up to them," he said. "I have my opinion, they can form theirs."

After reading Chamblee's original article, Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, threatened "legal action." On Monday, Steinberg concurred with his client's views of the flap. "I'm all done talking about it and it's now in the hands of the Golf Channel," Steinberg said.

"That's Tiger's view and that's mine, and all we want to do is move forward. And whether the Golf Channel moves forward as well, then we'll have to wait and see."

For the two previous Cybergolf articles on Chamblee and Tiger's alleged rules violations, visit http://www.cybergolf.com/golf_news/no_backtracking_by_chamblee and http://www.cybergolf.com/golf_news/chamblee_apologizes_to_tiger.