Tainted love? Tiger Woods has had his fair share of ups and downs while searching for The One — including multiple cheating scandals.
Woods burst onto the golf scene at a young age and by 20 years old he had turned professional. One year later, in 1997, he earned the title of the greatest athletes the sport had ever seen when he won the Masters by 12 strokes. His love life seemingly followed the successful pattern when he met Elin Nordegren in 2001 through fellow golfer Jesper Parnevik, whom she was nannying for at the time.
While the World Golf Hall of Fame inductee appeared to be smitten with the Sweden native from the start, Nordegren took a little longer to warm up to dating someone in the limelight. “She had her opinions about celebrities and they were not high. And she’s very shy so the idea of joining that world was not appealing to her,” the model’s friend Sandra Sobieraj Westfall revealed in the 2021 HBO documentary, Tiger. “And when he asked her out, I think she turned him down at first. … She gradually was convinced that she should give him a chance and so they did go out.”
Two years after they first crossed paths, Woods popped the question and in October 2004, the couple said, “I do.” Their daughter, Sam, was born in June 2007 and was followed by son Charlie born in February 2009.
That same year, Woods and Nordegren’s relationship took a step back when news broke that the professional athlete had been unfaithful. Rachel Uchitel was outed as Woods’ long-time mistress in November 2009, and she was just the tip of the iceberg.
The five-time Masters champion checked into rehab later that year for sex addiction after more than 10 women came forward with stories of alleged affairs and hookups involving Woods. Nordegren stayed by her then-husband’s side as he sought medical help but in early 2010, they officially separated.
“In hindsight, it’s not how I would change 2009 and how it all came about. It would be having a more open, honest relationship with my ex-wife,” Woods told Time in December 2015 while reflecting on his past indiscretions. “When it comes down to it, right down to it, it’s just having a more open, honest relationship with my ex-wife when we were married.”
The three-time U.S. Open winner added: “Our frustrations would have come out if we had talked about it and been open and honest with each other. Which we are now, and it’s absolutely fantastic.”
Two years later, Woods penned his memoir, Tiger Woods – Unprecedented, The Masters and Me, and once again spoke about how much he hurt Nordegren and their children with his actions.
“My regret will last a lifetime,” he wrote. “Still, Elin and I are devoted to our kids, and we have become best friends as we care for them. It’s all about the kids for us.
The 2019 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient eventually overcame the scandal and moved on romantically with the likes of Lindsay Vonn and later Erica Herman.
News broke in March 2023 that Woods and Herman had called it quits when the Florida native attempted to nullify her non-disclosure agreement with the golf legend — citing the Speak Out Act as her reason for filing. The act allows for NDAs to be nullified due to sexual assault or harassment, per court documents obtained by Us Weekly.
Scroll down to see who Woods has dated over the years:
