from www.nydailynews.com – Could another Tiger Woods girlfriend be lurking in the tall grass?
Sources tell us that, until recently, one of his favorite traveling companions was a delicious blond named Cori Rist. And, unlike some other reputed mistresses, Rist is not denying the rumors – she’s simply keeping mum.
It’s said that Woods met Rist, who is a regular at some of Manhattan’s better clubs, at Butter last year.
“They went on to another party,” says one insider. “One thing led to another and, pretty soon, Tiger was flying her to hook up with him on tour.
“Tiger would typically get a large suite at a hotel. Someone would book Cori an adjacent room, so she wouldn’t be seen coming into his room.”
For a while, sources say, Rist, 31, found the intrigue fun.
“He would get the presidential suite,” says the same source. “It was the ultimate in luxury. The trouble is, he never wanted to leave the room.”
A longtime buddy, someone Woods trusted, recalls Tiger introducing him to Rist. “I remember she was quite attractive,” says the pal.
But that encounter is said to have been an exception.
“He didn’t want to risk anyone seeing them together,” says our first source. “After about six months of this, she started to get tired of being cooped up. She felt like a bird in a gilded cage.”
We ran all of these claims past Rist.
“No comment,” said Rist, who lives in a posh pad on the East Side.
On any of it?
“Not at this time.”
Hmmm. Maybe she just doesn’t want to be sucked into the media storm. Or maybe she’s looking for a deal like Tiger’s other ladies. He’s paying Rachel Uchitel more than $1 million, according to Radar. US Weekly paid Jaimee Grubbs $150,000 for “photos,” according to Gawker, though we hear she got half that. And TMZ reports that yet another unnamed alleged mistress will claim she had a two-year affair that began in 2004.
The longtime buddy, who has known Woods since the golf champ was 20, believes the women who have been named so far “are just the tip of the iceberg.”
Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, did not respond to detailed questions.
“I love Tiger,” adds the pal, shaking his head. “But he got careless. He’s been doing this for years. He wanted to run with the big dogs. He saw all the action that Michael Jordan was getting on the side. But even Michael forgot you have to be discreet. You can’t rub your wife’s face in it. ”
Asked about reports that Tiger has boosted Elin’s prenup to $55 million, the friend said, “That’s peanuts to Tiger. But, unfortunately, I think he’d be better off not married – if he wants to pursue that lifestyle.”