Tiger Woods gets his tooth knocked out

An insider who was with Tiger Woods in Italy on Monday has poked a giant hole in the golfer's claim his front tooth was knocked out when he was smacked in the face by a photographer.

Nicola Colli, secretary general of the organizing committee for the race Lindsey Vonn won in Cortina D'Ampezzo, claims to have been alongside Woods during the so-called crush of paparazzi his agent claims caused him to lose a tooth.

'I was among those who escorted him from the tent to the snowmobile and there was no such incident,' Colli said. 'When he arrived he asked for more security and we rounded up police to look after both him and Lindsey.' 

he golfer revealed the gap in his mouth as he congratulated Vonn following her winning run- her 63rd World Cup victory. 

'During a crush of photographers at the awards' podium at the World Cup event in Italy, a media member with a shoulder-mounted video camera pushed and surged towards the stage, turned and hit Tiger Woods in the mouth,' Woods' agent Mark Steinberg said.

'Woods's tooth was knocked out by the incident.'

The identity and network of the camera operator was not included in the statement, nor was it clear what Steinberg claims became of the tooth. Previous pictures of the golfer show the tooth that was knocked out was discolored.

Vonn broke Annemarie Moser-Proell's 35-year-old record of 62 World Cup wins with a flawless run down the Olympia delle Tofane course, finishing 0.85 ahead of Anna Fenninger of Austria.

'I'm so happy to have finished the weekend with win No. 63. My family and Tiger is here. It's a really, really special day,' she said.

Vonn had been on track to shatter the record two years ago before a high-speed crash at the 2013 world championships in Schladming, Austria, when she tore two ligaments in her right knee.

She attempted to return for Sochi but re-injured her knee in Val d'Isere, France, in December, 2013, requiring a second surgery.

She is planning to compete through the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. 

Vonn, 30, and 39-year-old Woods, who was married to wife Elin Nordegren for six years until reports of his infidelity emerged, have been dating for nearly two years.