2007 Woods Cover-Up Exposed

A Men’s Fitness cover story on Tiger Woods in 2007 was actually a cover-up—a deal made to stop sister publication the National Enquirer from publishing a far more scandalous piece. Sources tell the Wall Street Journal Woods’ team made the deal after the Enquirer approached with pictures of the golfer and Mindy Lawton in a church parking lot, conveniently neglecting to mention that the quality was so bad, the story probably would never have made it to print.

The Men's Fitness article seemed odd at the time, because Woods had a “preferential access” deal with competitor Golf Digest. The publications involved deny it was anything other than a standard story. Lawton's version of the story recently appeared in the London tabloid News of the World, which is owned by News Corp., which also owns—you guessed it—the Wall Street Journal.
(More Mindy Lawton stories.)