Tiger's Indefinite Leave Clippings, 2010 Edition

In case you were wondering: no, the story isn't going away and the tabloids definitely aren't letting go.

Can you blame them?

There have been more Virgin Mary, Elvis and Jimmy Hoffa sightings (combined) in the last month than glimpses of Tiger Woods.

But before we get to the tabloids, Monty had some more interesting things to say about Tiger's aura when he returns.

"I think the mystique has gone," said the Ryder Cup skipper. "I think the mysterious nature of the guy has gone.

"He is suddenly, you hate to say, more normal now. Let's hope golf isn't damaged by that.

"There is no question there was an aura about Tiger Woods over this incredible record he has, not just in majors but in other world events.

"That wall has been split slightly and there are cracks. It gives us more opportunity to find ways of winning these events now and I am thinking of myself as well as my peers."

Deadspin's AJ Daulerio notes how the Tiger saga has "made the old golf media guard testy because their precious game has been sullied by all this cocktail waitress-boinking coverage, and now, email hoaxes. Watch more of them type angry."

Radar reports that a jovial Elin enjoyed the holidays in the French Alps with family and friends. If News of the World's James Desborough is to be believed, it's due to the huge payout she's been reported to have bragged about (uh huh, that's so Elin!).

The story shares plenty of details about Tiger's mental well-being and location for Christmas with mom. Maybe that's why the big order from El Pollo Loco?

An insider told us: "Tiger's cut himself from many of the people he used to talk to on a daily basis. Many senior aides are worried about their jobs - they fear Tiger will shake up his organisation and ditch anyone who may be implicated with helping him in his indiscretions. There was also a big office move on the cards soon, as Tiger planned to set up premises close to his secluded new $30 million dream home on Jupiter Island, on the Florida coast halfway between Kennedy Space Center and Miami. But that's been put on hold, leaving some to speculate that Tiger may sell the property.

"One person Tiger has been speaking to lately is fellow golfer Mark O'Meara. He went through a tough divorce and Tiger values his advice."

The story suggests Tiger's indefinite leave is not looking like it's going to get any shorter and may extend through 2011. I guess they didn't get the message that he's going to win the Masters?

The New York Daily News's Christian Red files a lengthy and oddly compelling profile of Holly Ashley Samson, who sold her story to the National Enquirer and sheds more light on the life of Rachel Uchitel.

For her part in the drama that has cost Woods endorsements, respect and possibly his marriage in the wake of revelations of numerous extra-marital affairs, Samson says she was paid $25,000. A girlfriend of Samson's who was not identified by the Enquirer backed up Samson's account in the magazine and received between $10,000 and $15,000 from the tabloid, Samson says, adding that the cost to both women has exceeded any money they've received. In retrospect, she told the Daily News that she should have taken the $200,000 she says the Woods camp offered her to keep quiet.

Samson says her decision to blow the whistle on Woods and Uchitel has resulted in plenty of mental anguish, fractured friendships and added stress in her personal life and her marriage.

"I'm trying to get my f--- life together and repair my reputation," says Samson. "It probably would have been better (to accept the $200,000) because what ended up happening was a big mess."

And finally, the National Enquirer reports that now that the New Year has arrived, photos and videos are being shopped.

The footage is grainy and was recorded by a parking lot security camera some time in the last year, according to the close source.

"The photos show Tiger in an embrace with a young woman.

"If the photos become part of Elin's divorce action, they may be the most expensive photos in history."