a wedge or 9-iron?.....

Tiger Woods has cancelled plans to attend his own golf tournament in southern California because of injuries he suffered near his Florida home early Friday, the pro golfer said in a statement today.

"I am extremely disappointed that I will not be at my tournament this week," Woods said of the Chevron World Challenge in Thousand Oaks, California. "I am certain it will be an outstanding event and I'm very sorry that I can't be there." He also canceled a Tuesday news conference for the start of the tournament, which helps raise money for Tiger Woods Foundation programs.

As Tiger Wreck Watch 2009 lurches into its fourth day with little new information, fans and media are combing over every element of this case. There's brick wall after brick wall in this story, but one of the largest and most well-fortified is this: just who is Elin Nordegren Woods, anyway?

If you were to design the perfect wife for a privacy-hungry superstar like Tiger Woods, she'd look a whole lot like Elin -- low-key, accustomed to celebrity, and, from all appearances on the golf course, totally devoted to her husband's career. But does that change behind closed doors?

Which is what makes the current questions about her recent behavior -- why did she smash a window in Tiger's Escalade? Is she responsible for his injuries? Did she beat his ass with a wedge or 9-iron?

"The only person responsible for the accident is me," Woods said. "My wife, Elin, acted courageously when she saw I was hurt and in trouble. She was the first person to help me. Any other assertion is absolutely false." (As he flinched when she walked into the room).

Tiger Woods has shot down rumours his wife Elin was trying to attack him before the car crash outside their house, saying she "acted courageously" and "was the first person to help me". (OK Tiger...we get it, she was there first...but did she hit you?)

Who is Elin Nordegren Woods?  The facts about her: She grew up in Stockholm, and while she did some modeling in her teens, the idea that she was a "Swedish supermodel" is one of those urban legends. But she was around the world of golf long before she met Woods, serving as the nanny to golfer Jesper Parnevik. She met Tiger at the 2001 British Open, and it wasn't exactly a romantic introduction for the ages.

According to SI, Tiger was so nervous about asking her out that he had a friend do it for him. Initially, she declined. But Woods persisted, she relented, and they married in a lavish $1.5 million ceremony in Barbados. That wedding was the stuff of tabloid heaven, with Hootie and the Blowfish as the house band and Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley in attendance.

Being married to the world's richest athlete (now one billion dollars) apparently has done little to change Elin's public persona. We don't see her doing reality shows, we don't see her on the covers of magazines every month, and aside from releasing some photos, she doesn't parade around her children seeking publicity. It's refreshing, really, to see someone in the limelight apparently unconcerned with the fame-hungry world of modern celebrity.

What's certain is that the Woods camp would love a mulligan on many elements of this case, and the image that's been created -- or, more accurately, not created -- of Elin up until Nov. 27 may very well be at the top of that list.

Have we finally found someone that can beat Tiger?