Tiger Woods: bed-hopping rumours revive 'limp' game

A case of a Tiger unable to change its stripes? According to US magazine the National Enquirer, Tiger Woods was dumped by Lindsey Vonn in May after "she caught him cheating with a fellow golfer's ex-wife".

The woman in question, Amanda Boyd, is the former flame of Jason Dufner, winner of the 2013 PGA Championship, but whose career of late has endured the same downward spiral as the man accused of conducting a "steamy affair" with his ex.

The Enquirer quotes a source as saying: "Even though Tiger dated Lindsey for years, he had a 'thing' for Amanda. At first, it was just innocent flirting, but earlier this year it became serious."

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Woods, who failed to make the cut at last month's US Open after a disastrous opening round, has endured a torrid time on the golf course this year, a description which might also be applied to his private life.

The 14-times Major winner – whose marriage to Elin Nordegren ended in 2010 after stories emerged of his serial infidelity – had been dating skier Vonn since they met at a charity event three years ago.

But according to the Enquirer Woods started an affair with Boyd just weeks after her divorce from Dufner – but while he was still an item with Vonn.

Dufner and Boyd, who married in May 2012, separated this February citing the "irretrievable breakdown of the marriage".

The Enquirer describes Boyd as "gorgeous", and an anonymous "friend" says she was "a big flirt with the other players on the PGA tour…I guess her flirty ways and good looks caught Tiger's eye."

Vonn announced her separation from Woods in May, posting a message on Facebook that blamed the rupture on their "incredibly hectic lives that force us to spend a majority of our time apart."

The Evening Standard carries comments from Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, who is with the golfer at a tournament in West Virginia, and who said of the allegations: "There is zero truth to the rumour. It is absolutely 100 per cent false."

But it wasn't all bad news for Woods on Thursday. As his agent fielded calls about his fidelity, Woods carded a 66 in the opening round of the Greenbrier Classic – his lowest score on the Tour since the BMW Championship in September 2013. "I've made a little bit of progress," said a rueful Woods of his round. "Obviously, that's not saying much."

As the New York Post noted, all it took "was a salacious report of a bed-hopping affair to revive Tiger Woods' limp golf game".