Tiger's Ojibwe girlfriend

Tiger's college girlfriend speaks out

By Irene FolstromTiger Woods was my boyfriend for a year and a half while we were both undergraduates at Stanford. I've never spoken to the press about him; I'm not coming forward now for money or to advance any pathetic showbiz aspirations, but merely to stick up for a friend. I haven't seen Tiger since the late ’90s, but I know who he is at his core because we were together during some of his most formative years. He was so human and cared so much about other people and the world around him. This may surprise some people, but Tiger was a great boyfriend.And:I walked many golf courses watching Tiger play, sometimes with his mother, Tida. I grew up on an Indian reservation in Minnesota, and I think Tida accepted me so readily because Tiger and I shared many of the same values.Her take on the scandal:Like everyone else, I was shocked by the revelations about his infidelities. The Tiger I knew was loyal, devoted and self-­controlled.To prove she's not some sort of golddigger or fraud, here's more on Folstrom:

Young attorney pushes to be American Indian voice at Capitol

December 31, 2005A young attorney from the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe is launching what could be an historic campaign for the Minnesota Senate. If Irene Folstrom wins, she would be the first Indian woman to be elected to the state Legislature.Comment:  Tiger apparently has a thing for Native people. He had or has at least one Native friend, one Native girlfriend, and one Native mistress.

For more on the subject, see Begay:  Tiger's Apology Was Real and Tiger's Mistress Attacks Indians.

Below:  "Folstrom is an advocate for Native American causes." (Judy Griesedieck/SI)