GOLF:THE MOTHER-in-law of Tiger Woods was rushed to hospital yesterday morning amid reports that Elin Nordegren, Woods' wife, has moved out of their house following reports of serial adultery involving as many as 10 women.

Barbro Holmberg (57), a Swedish politician, and her other daughter, Josefin, a twin of Elin, are believed to have travelled from Sweden to provide moral support to Elin as the golfer’s marriage and reputation disintegrate.

Ms Holmberg is a social democrat and former minister of immigration and asylum in Sweden. She took a week’s leave of absence from her job as a county governor in east-central Sweden to be with her daughter.

An ambulance picked her up at the Woods’ lakeside home in the early hours of yesterday morning.

A Cadillac SUV similar to the one Woods crashed on November 27th followed the ambulance. Reports said an attractive blonde resembling Elin Nordegren was at the wheel.

A hospital spokesman later said Holmberg’s condition was not life-threatening, but her privacy was being protected.

It is extremely difficult to disentangle fact from rumour in the Woods scandal, because developments are first reported by celebrity websites. Several sources said Elin Nordegren is staying with friends near the house she co-owns with Woods.

Since last month, reports have surfaced that Woods had up to 10 affairs with nightclub managers and waitresses. Alleged mistress number seven is Holly Sampson, who has reportedly made 85 pornographic films with titles like Lingerie or Bust. Numbers 8, 9 and 10 have been alluded to in the press but not named.

The dramatic fall of Woods continues to fascinate America. Columnist Eugene Robinson speculated in the Washington Post yesterday that Woods’ philandering stems from insecurity.

“If you’re the richest, most famous athlete on the planet, and you have an eye for cocktail waitresses and nightclub hostesses, the opportunities to cheat are probably limited only by the number of hours in the day,” Robinson wrote.

“One does begin to marvel at his capacity for multi-tasking. He is known on the golf course for almost superhuman powers of concentration. Who knew that between shots he was also juggling such complicated logistical arrangements?”