Posted Jan. 13, 2009

"I feel like your life is about experiencing people and love in all forms." So said Kate Hudson in last week's issue of People magazine, and she appears to be living up to her credo by spending quality time with a tall, dark and handsome new man.

The actress, 29, took a breather from promoting "Bride Wars" to enjoy the sand and surf in Maui on Monday with Australian professional golfer Adam Scott, 28, who was in Hawaii for the Mercedes-Benz Championship (he finished a so-so 18th out of 33).

Adam Scott tees off at the HSBC golf tournament last November. (©Reuters)

Paparazzi tagged along on their beach outing, with photos showing an eensy-weensy-bikini-clad Kate lying side-by-side with Adam after an ocean dip, and the two engaging in what appears to be an intimate, towel-set tête-à-tête as they soak up harmful UV rays.

A couple days earlier, the pair was reportedly spied hanging out at the Ritz-Carlton Maui, where Hudson, who jetted off the island on Tuesday, was believed to be staying with her family, including son Ryder, 5, and parents Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell.

Word is, Hudson and Scott have been e-mailing for a while and decided to meet up in Maui.

Still, the golfer, who split with longtime Swedish model-squeeze Marie Kojzar in 2007 and is often billed as one of the most eligible bachelors Down Under, dismisses speculation that a hot and heavy romance is afoot.

"I'm not here with her, but I know Kate," he downplays (via PGAtour.com). "We met here. We have a mutual friend."

Speaking of mutual friends, Hudson was also linked this week to none other than New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez, who scored his share of tabloid headlines last year thanks to self-described pal Madonna (she was last seen in the company of a dewy Brazilian model).

The New York Post claims Kate, who supposedly chatted up A-Rod in Miami a couple months back while hanging out with the Big M's BFF Gwyneth Paltrow, went "on a date" with the slugger last week in New York.

The two shared a three-hour meal at Lure Fishbar with some friends and seemed to appear "very cozy." After dinner, they apparently met up at a bar with the actress's billionaire businessman pal, Ron Burkle.

Hudson's rep, however, brushes off the romantic implications of the evening out with Rodriguez, telling the paper, "Kate was at Lure with a group of 10 people."

Hudson, you'll recall, told the January issue of InStyle that she's "actually enjoying being single right now because I really never have been," adding that she'd "made a conscious decision to try to stay single as long as possible."

But that didn't stop rumors from surfacing last month that she had reconnected with two-time ex Owen Wilson, whom she originally split with in May 2007 after nearly a year of coupledom. They rekindled the flame for three months in the spring of 2008.

A short time later, Kate began seeing Lance Armstrong, but their quickly revved-up romance petered out by the end of July (the cycling champ announced in late December that he and girlfriend Anne Hansen are expecting a baby in June).