Tiger Woods' agent is considering legal action after respected golf commentator Brandel Chamblee accused the world No 1 of being "cavalier with the rules".
Chamblee pulled no punches in his assessment of Woods over a season in which he has been dogged by a number of brushes with rules officials.
The 14-time major winner was given a two-shot penalty for taking an incorrect drop in Abu Dhabi in January, and many critics felt he should have been disqualified from the Masters after a bizarre incident in his second round.
His approach to the 15th cannoned back off the pin and found water, and his subsequent drop was deemed illegal after officials studied television evidence.
But Woods escaped with a two-shot penalty despite signing for an incorrect scorecard, and a drop at the Players Championship the following month was also called into question.
He was hit with another two-shot penalty at the BMW Championship in Chicago last month when his ball moved as he attempted to remove some twigs, although he protested his innocence despite damning TV evidence.
In an interview with a magazine in the United States, Chamblee awarded Woods an "F" grade for a year which yielded five PGA Tour titles, although no major victories.
"I remember when we only talked about Tiger's golf," Chamblee wrote.
"I miss those days. He won five times and contended in majors and won the Vardon Trophy and....how shall we say this....was a little cavalier with the rules."
But Woods' agent Mark Steinberg labelled Chamblee's comments as "atrocious", and admitted that he was considered taking legal action.
"There's nothing you can call a golfer worse than a cheater," Steinberg said. "This is the most deplorable thing I have seen. I'm not one for hyperbole, but this is absolutely disgusting.
"Calling him a cheater? I'll be shocked, stunned if something is not done about this. Something has to be done.
"There are certainly things that just don't go without response. It's atrocious. I'm not sure if there isn't legal action to be taken. I have to give some thought to legal action.
"Brandel Chamblee's comments are shameful, baseless and completely out of line. In his rulings, Tiger voiced his position, accepted his penalty and moved on. There was no intention to deceive anyone.
"Chamblee's uninformed and malicious opinions, passed on as facts, and his desperate attempt to garner attention is deplorable.
"Brandel has a right to form his opinion. If he wants to give him an 'F' for his year? It's silly. But this goes so far above that and is out of bounds. It's stunning."
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