Tiger Woods not on par with actors union

Having avoided every bunker during his recent blazing run at the British Open golf championship, Tiger Woods ran into rough terrain with the American Screen Actors Guild when he defied a strike and shot a non-union television advertisement for Buick cars in Canada this week.

Having avoided every bunker during his recent blazing run at the British Open golf championship, Tiger Woods ran into rough terrain with the American Screen Actors Guild when he defied a strike and shot a non-union television advertisement for Buick cars in Canada this week.

The golfing phenomenon, who initially went along with the three-month-old strike and was even hailed as a hero for refusing to appear in a Nike advert, now faces disciplinary action from the Guild and could find himself suspended or expelled.

"Mr Woods violated rule number one of the current commercials strike by accepting non-union work," the guild's president, William Daniels, said in a terse statement. "Accordingly, Screen Actors Guild plans to notify him of the date and time of his trial board, whereupon he will be asked to explain his actions." In the rogue advert, Mr Woods, 24, publicises his corporate sponsors at Buick by playing a series of Olympic sports using just his golf clubs. Shot in Canada on Wednesday, the advert was part of a five-year $30m (£20m) deal with Buick's parent company, General Motors.

In his own statement, Mr Woods said this was a commitment he could not duck out of. "It was an extremely tough situation, but I have relationships to uphold with my sponsors who have supported me over the years," he said. "This is in no way a stance against the union." Unionised actors have been refusing commercials work since 1 May to press for greater compensation, particularly on cable television where they currently receive no royalties, just a flat fee. Celebrity support has been crucial to their cause, but the record has been mixed. The pop idol Britney Spears shot a McDonalds advert in Canada near the beginning of the strike but recently cancelled a Clairol shoot.