So why wasn’t Tiger at his baby’s baptism?

TIGER Woods faced questions over his marriage to Swedish model Elin Nordegren last night after skipping his daughter’s christening.

Tiger Woods Tiger Woods

Just a fortnight after he pledged to take the rest of the year off to be with his family, Woods was at a charity function in California while three-month-old Sam was being baptised in Sweden. 

Friends insisted there were no problems in the three-year marriage. They said the couple had agreed the golfer should remain behind to host his charity gala.

While the traditional christening was important to Elin and her family, insiders said Woods’s Buddhist beliefs meant the ceremony was less of a priority. 

However, photos of Woods, 31, posing with his arms around Desperate Housewives star Teri Hatcher at the fund-raiser 6,000 miles away merely fuelled gossip. One columnist wrote: “Hey, hasn’t the guy heard of a daily planner?

“Couldn’t he and Elin, have picked a free day – no charity events, no golf, no shooting a dozen TV ads – then had their daughter baptised?”

Elin’s Swedish relatives were reportedly “very surprised” her husband was not there. 

After flying into Stockholm on a private jet, Elin, 27, and baby Sam Alexis Woods were picked up by the model’s twin sister Josefin and the baby was christened in a specially decorated gymnasium. Meanwhile, last Saturday’s Tiger Woods Block Party in California raised £500,000 for a school learning programme. 

A friend said Woods was “in great spirits”, adding: “He was the life and soul of the party. We had no idea his baby was being christened on the same weekend.”

Woods was introduced to his future wife at the Open Championship in 2001. They were married  in Barbados in 2004 and Sam was born in Florida in June. 

A source said: “Tiger and Elin have a good relationship. She understood how much this event meant to him and he understood how important a baptism was to her family. 

“As a Buddhist, it wasn’t so important to him so they agreed to do their own thing. They are still very much in love.” 

Last night Woods’s spokesman refused to comment.

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