After Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren divorced in 2010, she walked home with $100 million. The couple, who share two children, have moved on from their difficult past and now amicably co-parent their kids.
Tiger Woods will go down in history as one of the most iconic golfers the world has ever seen, thanks to his talent, multiple championships, and records.
For instance, he has won 82 PGA Tours, which ties him first all-time in golf history. He also ranks second in men's major championships and holds several golf records.
Thanks to his golfing prowess, he is regarded as one of the greatest golfers of all time. He is also one of the greatest sportsmen in history and is an inductee of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
While Woods' talent and iconic status in the golf world are unquestionable, it is in his personal life that he has struggled.
In 2009, the golfer was enmeshed in multiple cheating scandals that almost ended his career and led to the end of his marriage with Elin Nordegren. Relive the scandals and find out what happened in the aftermath.
Tiger Woods when he won the Tour Championship on September, 23, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. | Photo: Getty Images
WOODS AND NORDEGREN'S RELATIONSHIP
Nordegren is a model from Sweden. Before venturing into modeling, she and her twin sister Josefin worked odd jobs in supermarkets to fund their education. At 20, she began her modeling career and appeared on the cover of Cafe Sport magazine in the summer of 2000.
Nordegren met Swedish golfer Jesper Parnevik's wife Mia Parnevik while working in a clothes shop in Stockholm. Jesper and Mia then hired her to be their kids' nanny.
Due to the job, Nordegren moved with them to the United States. In 2001, she met Woods at the 2001 Open Championship. Before their meeting, Woods had spent a year begging Mia to introduce him to Nordegren. However, she was seeing someone at the time.
Tiger Woods, his daugher Sam, and his wife Elin Nordegren at Stanford Stadium on November 21, 2009. | Photo: Getty Images
In November 2003, Woods and Nordegren attended the President's Cup tournament in South Africa. Afterward, he proposed to her at the Shamwari Game Reserve.
On October 5, 2004, the couple tied the knot at the Sandy Lane Resort in Barbados. After their marriage, they lived at Isleworth, Windermere, Orlando, Florida. The couple welcomed their daughter, Sam Alexis, in 2007. In 2009, their son Charlie Axel was born.
WOODS' CHEATING SCANDAL
Woods was at the peak of his career in 2009. On October 1, 2009, Forbes named him the first athlete to earn $1 billion. His status as one of the sport's greatest athletes was strong.
His family life also seemed to be perfect. He had a beautiful wife and two adorable kids. The golfer also had multiple endorsement deals, and all seemed to be going well.
However, on November 25, 2009, the National Enquirer published a story claiming Woods had an extramarital affair with Rachel Uchitel, a New York City nightclub manager.
However, a day before the tabloid hit the stands, Woods put Nordegren on the phone with Uchitel, who insisted the rumors were false. The women spoke for 30 minutes.
After the call, Woods was satisfied, but his wife was not. Later that afternoon, she scrolled through his phone's call history and found the name of another woman, Jaimee Grubbs.
Nordegren called the woman's number, but it went into voice mail. She left a message to the woman telling her she knew she was sleeping with her husband.
However, Nordegren did not tell Woods what she had done. When he got hold of his phone, he also called Grubbs and begged her to take his name off her phone because his wife had gone through his phone and was suspicious.
Nordegren did not say anything for the next two days. However, after reading the Enquirer's story about Woods' cheating scandal, she was shocked by the revelations.
Woods' children have been a major part of him bouncing back to the top of his career.
Tiger Woods' reaction after chipping in from the bunker on the third hole during the final round of The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass on March 17, 2019. | Photo: Getty Images
On November 26, 2009, Woods and Nordegren hosted his mom at their mansion in Windermere for Thanksgiving. That night, Woods fell asleep after taking an Ambien, and his wife took his phone and searched for Uchitel's number.
She found a romantic message from her husband to Uchitel in which he professed love to her. She pretended to be Woods and chatted with Uchitel to ensure they were seeing each other.
Nordegren found out the truth and called Uchitel, who realized what was happening and hung up. Nordegren was angered by what was happening and screamed.
Her screams woke Woods, who grabbed his phone and ran to the bathroom, locking himself up. He texted Uchitel and told her what had happened. He also told her it looked like divorce.
Nordegren continued yelling at Woods and demanded he come out. When he emerged, she swiped his cellphone and saw the text he sent to Uchitel about divorce and got angrier.
She threw the phone at Woods, chipping his tooth. She then tried to attack him physically, but he freed himself from her and ran away.
Nordegren grabbed a golf club and chased after Woods. He hopped into his 2009 Escalade and zoomed off while she entered a golf cart and chased after him.
Woods collided with a fire hydrant, a tree, and several hedges near his home. Another couple in the neighborhood rushed to the crash scene and saw Nordegren with the golf club and the Escalade's two black windows smashed out.
Nordegren asked the couple for help in pulling her husband out. When authorities arrived, she told them it was a simple car accident.
Woods was treated for his injuries and received a ticket for careless driving. However, media speculation about the accident intensified.
The golfer did his best to douse the tension by claiming sole responsibility for the crash and crediting his wife for helping him from the car.
However, the cheating scandal intensified, and Uchitel scheduled a press conference. The conference got canceled with reports circulating that Woods paid her $10 million to keep quiet.
The golfer would not have expected what followed as multiple women came forward claiming to have had sex with him. Two weeks after the accident, 14 women had claimed to have slept with him.
Woods lost many of his endorsements as many of the world's biggest brands cut ties with him. He also announced he was taking a leave from golf and entered rehab for sex addiction at the end of December.
Woods also released statements admitting to the cheating scandals and apologized to his fans. He reportedly confessed to sleeping with 120 women.
WOODS AND NORDEGREN'S DIVORCE
Woods and Nordegren's marriage ended in divorce after the cheating scandal. Their divorce was finalized on August 23, 2010. Following the divorce, the couple expressed sadness that their marriage was over and wished each other the very best for the future.
They also said their children's happiness would always be of paramount importance. Hence, their primary focus after their split was to ensure their kids' future wellbeing. They also requested privacy.
TMZ reported that Nordegren got close to $100,000,000 from the divorce. Also, as part of their divorce settlement, Woods named her as the issuer of the mortgage he took out on his home, and it totaled $54.5 million.
In December 2015, For The Win reported that Woods was almost done paying off the mortgage. In addition to these, Nordegren also received child support.
Nordegren spoke for the first time since her split from Woods during an exclusive interview with People in August 2010.
During the interview, she said she had been through stages of disbelief, shock, anger, and grief over the loss of a family she badly wanted for her children.
She added that despite Woods' betrayal, she felt stronger than she ever had. Nordegren also said she had confidence in her beliefs, decisions, and self before adding:
"My immediate plan is for the kids and me to continue to adjust to our new situation. I am going to keep taking classes, but my main focus is to try to give myself time to heal."
In 2014, Nordegren graduated from college after nine years of study at Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida. During her graduation speech, she joked about her divorce from Woods.
THE CO-PARENTING RELATIONSHIP
Woods and Nordegren have moved on with their lives since their divorce. The golfer has been involved in several relationships since then.
He dated Olympic gold medal skier Lindsey Vonn from 2013 to 2015 and was rumored to be in a relationship with stylist Kristin Smith from 2016 to 2017. Since late 2017, he has been dating restaurant manager Erica Herman.
Meanwhile, Nordegren dated coal mogul and philanthropist Chris Cline. She is currently in a relationship with former NFL player Jordan Cameron and gave birth to their son in October 2019.
In November 2019, the Los Angeles Times reported that Nordegren wanted to sell her $44.5 million Florida mansion, which she bought through a trust in 2011 for $12.25 million.
Woods and Nordegren remain connected through their children and maintain an amicable co-parenting relationship despite moving on with their lives.
Years after the couple's divorce, a source told People that Nordegren put her own feelings aside to ensure her kids have a great relationship with their father. The source added:
"Elin and Tiger do a great job co-parenting."
Woods' golf career took a great hit after the cheating scandal, but he eventually bounced back and rose to number one in the golf rankings, eventually winning his 15th major at the 2019 Masters.
Tiger Woods at the 18th hole during the final round of the Hero World Challenge on December 4, 2016, in Nassau, Bahamas. | Photo: Getty Images
Woods' children have been a major part of him bouncing back to the top of his career. His son, Charlie, also looks to be following in his footsteps.
Woods and the 13-year-old Charlie competed together in the PNC Championship in December 2020. Meanwhile, 14-year-old Sam is as tall as her mom.
Woods and Nordegren's kids predominantly stay out of the spotlight though they have been spotted in public with their dad on several occasions. It is good to see the kids are happy and living well despite their parents' controversial split 12 years ago.
ncG1vNJzZmimlazAb63MqKSapZFjsLC5jmtvbXFlaXq1tcaeqWavn6SxtHnEsWSwoZaaeqa4yKdkp6eimbKovsSnZKydk6q%2Fb7TTpqM%3D