GM Takes Tiger's Keys

Car company says pulling loaners was planned before meltdown

The last time Tiger Woods was seen going for a drive, it didn't go so well, but that's not why General Motors cut off the golfer's free ride.

Woods, who has been hiding in the tall grass since an ugly Nov. 27 incident led to his tawdry personally life being laid bare, has been forced to return all the GM cars he had free use of, according to USA Today. That includes the Cadillac Escalade he crashed into a tree and a fire hydrant near his Florida mansion.

Woods endorsed GM's Buick line until 2008, but his deal allowed him to drive the Cadillac and at least one other car for free until Dec. 31.  Buick spokesman Dayna Hart the paper the deal was already in place and ending it had nothing to do with the complete meltdown of Woods' personal life.

The crash was quickly followed by reports of Woods dalliances with a parade of women, and whispers that a nasty row with his wife over cheating had precipitated his wee-hours misadventure behind the wheel. Since then, Woods has lost endorsement deals with several of the companies that had paid him a combined $100 million per year, including AT&T, Gatorade, Gillette and consulting company Accenture.

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