Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren: What to Remember

Tiger Woods was involved in a frightening car accident on Tuesday. It has left fans of the sports [...]

Tiger Woods is undoubtedly one of the greatest athletes to ever live. He has been a member of the PGA tour for over 25 years and has won the PGA Tournament four times. Additionally, Woods has won the Masters Tournament five times and is an inductee of the World Golf Hall of Fame. Still, it is his rollercoaster relationship with ex-wife Elin Nordegren that has captivated so many people.

Nordegren and Woods’ relationship made countless headlines more than a decade ago, and there’s a lot to know about it. Interestingly, Woods had already become a household name for his incredible talent, before they ever crossed paths. As for Nordegren, she was born to political parents in Stockholm, Sweden. The couple first met after Nordegren took a full-time nanny job with Swedish golfer Jesper Parnevik’s family. It was Parnevik and his wife who first introduced her to Woods. Scroll down to read more about the couple’s relationship, including details of their split and where they both are now.

Early Relationship

tiger-woods-elin-nordegren_getty-Harry How : Staff — (Photo: Harry How / Staff, Getty)

Initially, it is reported that Nordegren was not actually interested in Woods. As Parnevik’s wife Mia previously explained to the NY Daily News, “She had no interest in Tiger and he was OK with that. There was a big line of single golfers wanting to meet her. They were gaga over her.”

Eventually, however, Woods was able to win Nordegren’s heart. The couple was engaged in 2003 after Woods proposed at the Shamwari Game Reserve while they were attending the Presidents Cup tournament in South Africa.

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Marriage

Nordegren and Woods were officially married in 2004, saying their “I Do’s” by the 19th hole of the Sandy Lane resort in Barbados.

They had their first child together — daughter Sam Alexis Woods — in 2007, with their second child — son Charlie Axel — being born in 2009. It was at this point, five years after their wedding ceremony, that the couple’s relationship took an unexpected turn.

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Cheating Allegations and Car Accident

tiger_woods_elin_nordegren — (Photo: ROBYN BECK, Getty)

In November 2009, the National Enquirer published a story that alleged Woods had been having an affair with a woman named Rachel Uchitel, who was a New York City nightclub manager. Both Uchitel and Woods initially denied the allegations.

Just two days after that story was released, Woods was involved in a curious car accident that was thought to be brought on by a huge fight between him and Nordegren. Woods denied this also and took full responsibility for the situation.

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More Affair Claims

The following month, December, more allegations that Woods had been having affairs surfaced. Many women came forward to claim that they had personally had sexual relationships with the pro golfer. Over the course of a few weeks, more than a dozen different claims of infidelity emerged against Woods.

In a subsequent interview, Woods spoke about the situation, saying, “I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to. I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled. Thanks to money and fame, I didn’t have to go far to find them. I was wrong. I was foolish.”

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Divorce

tiger-woods-masters-2019 — (Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Woods initially stated that he hoped he and Nordegren could work on their marriage, taking an “indefinite break” from his golfing career. However, the couple was not able to reconcile and ultimately went their separate ways.

Their divorce was official finalized in the Bay County Circuit Court in Panama City, Florida, on Aug. 23, 2010. Nordegren received a $100 million settlement as part of the divorce proceedings.

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Post-Split Relationship

Following the couple’s divorce, they agreed to have a civil relationship for the sake of their children, whom they have continued to co-parent together. During a 2010 interview with PEOPLE — after their divorce was finalized — Nordegren said, “I wish him all the best in the future, as a person and as an athlete. I know he is going to go down as the best golfer that ever lived, and rightfully so. I feel privileged to have witnessed a part of his golfing career.”

She went on to say, “We are going to be sharing custody of Sam and Charlie, which is a great thing. Tiger loves the children, and I want them to have regular and good contact with both of us. I will always have a working parenting relationship with Tiger.”

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Nordegren’s New Life

After leaving Woods, Nordegren went back to school, earning a degree in psychology from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. Notably, this is what she wanted to do with her life prior to meeting Woods. In 2018, Nordegren sold her North Palm Beach, Florida home, which she had purchased after her split from Woods. She reportedly paid $12 for the compound, and then listed it for $50, after doing extensive renovations.

She briefly dated coal magnate Chris Cline, but the couple reportedly split after an “on-again, off-again” relationship over the years. In October 2019, Nordegren gave birth to her third child, with former NFL player Jordan Cameron, whom she appears to still be happily with, per a recent report from the U.S. Sun.

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Woods’ New Loves

tiger_woods_gf_erica — (Photo: Newspix, Getty)

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In the subsequent years since his divorce from Nordegren, Woods has dated a handful of women. Woods has dated personal stylist Kristin Smith, Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn, and at one point was romantically linked to fitness model Laci Kay Somers. Smith reportedly broke up with Woods because she believed that he’d cheated on her.

More recently, Woods has been dating Erica Harman (pictured above), who was the manager of Wood’s pop-up restaurant. She was by his side for his win at the 2019 Masters Tournament, and in January 2021 PEOPLE published a story reporting that a source close to the pair stated they “live together” at Woods’ home and that their relationship is strong.