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Tiger Woods is one of the most successful golfers of all time. The 42-year-old California native has won 79 PGA Tour events over the course of his career.
The famed athlete is a father of two children, a daughter named Sam and a son named Charlie. Their mom is Woods’ ex-wife, Elin Nordegren. Woods is currently dating Erica Herman, a restaurant manager from Florida.
Woods has dated several other women over the years, including Olympian Lindsey Vonn, and he has admitted to having extramarital affairs while he was married to Nordegren. He has also been to rehab for sex addiction therapy.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. He’s Currently Dating Erica Herman
Woods and Herman have been dating for several months. Woods and his ex-girlfriend, Kristin Smith, went their separate ways in mid-2017, and he and Herman started hanging out shortly thereafter. Woods and Herman officially put themselves in the public eye when they attended the Presidents Cup together in late September. At the time, Herman was spotted wearing a “player’s spouse” credential around her neck.
It is believed that Woods met Herman through her work. She has been in the restaurant business for several years and was the general manager of his eatery called The Woods, located in Jupiter, Florida. According to TMZ, however, she no longer works at the establishment.
While not much else is known about Herman, Radar Online has reported about her supposed “troubled past.” A source told the outlet that Herman is known as a “hard partier” and a “gold digger.” Additionally, a source said that Herman has had her eye on Woods for several years, and even suggested that the two had something going on while Woods was still married to Elin Nordegren.
“Erica’s been chasing Tiger around like a puppy for close to 10 years. I’m not sure if his wife knew, but I’m not sure how she couldn’t know. I can’t believe Tiger’s out in public with her now,” the source explained.
2. He Previously Dated Lindsey Vonn
Woods met Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn at a charity event back in 2012. The two hit it off and started dating. Their relationship was scrutinized by the media, and their every move was written about by just about every media outlet — after all, this was Woods’ first serious relationship since his divorce.
Woods and Vonn’s relationship appeared serious. In fact, Vonn had met Woods’ kids and seemed to be taking on the role as “step mother” with ease.
In 2015, however, things started to fall apart. While there have been rumors that Woods cheated on Vonn, she blamed their hectic work schedules for their split.
In an interview with CNN just months after the split, Vonn spoke highly of Woods and admitted that she still loved him.
“I mean, I loved him and I still love him. I had an amazing three years with him. Sometimes things just don’t work out and unfortunately it didn’t work out for us. But I don’t have any regrets and I think we’re both in a pretty good place,” Vonn told the outlet.
3. He Was Married to Elin Nordegren & They Have 2 Children Together
Woods was married to his now-ex-wife, Elin Nordegren, for six years. Nordegren, 38, was born in Stockholm, Sweden. She met Woods while she was working as a nanny for pro golfer, Jesper Parnevik, moving to the United States in 2001. Shortly after her move, Parnevik introduced Nordegren to Woods. They started dating the following year.
In 2004, the two tied the knot, exchanging vows at the Sandy Lane Resort in Barbados. Wedding guests included Michael Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, and Bill Gates, to name a few. According to CNN, the wedding cost a whopping $1.5 million.
“The couple exchanged rings under an arch of flowers framed by the blue Caribbean and a spectacular sunset. The guests then took their seats in a huge marquee, built on the hotel’s golf course, to dine on flying fish, macaroni pie, shrimp cocktail followed by the finest champagne.”
The couple welcomed their first child, daughter Sam Alexis Woods, on June 18, 2007. Their son, Charlie Axel, was born two years later on February 8, 2009.
On Thanksgiving of that year, Nordegren chased Woods out of their home with a golf club, the story landing on the front page of several publications. It was later revealed that Nordegren found out that Woods had been unfaithful to her, causing her to flip out.
According to Page Six, Woods tried to talk to his wife about a story that was about to be published by the National Enquirer before things went south. Despite thinking that he’d done the right thing by denying the story, Nordegren wasn’t satisfied. She decided to do her own bit of detective work, grabbing her then-husband’s cell phone and going through his messages. What she found was evidence to the contrary, proving that Woods had been cheating on her with more than one woman.
What happened next could have been straight out of a movie.
“Woods tore out of the house barefoot, Elin in hot pursuit, their shouts waking the neighbors. ‘You’ve ruined our Thanksgiving!’ Woods yelled, still running. ‘Are you happy now?'”
“He hopped into his 2009 Escalade; she dashed to a golf cart. It was 2:25 a.m. Woods pulled out of the driveway at 30 mph, crushed some hedges, careened into a curb, then hit a fire hydrant before smashing into a tree. He wound up in the street, unconscious, bloody and snoring. A neighboring couple ran over, and there was Nordegren, with the golf club, the Escalade’s two back windows smashed out.”
“‘Help us,’ she said.”
Needless to say, Nordegren and Woods divorced. She was reportedly given $100 million in the divorce settlement.
These days, Nordegren lives a quiet life out of the spotlight and remains focused on raising her two children. She lives in a 21,000-sq.-ft. North Palm Beach mansion, not too far from Woods.
“I have moved on and I am in a good place. My relationship with Tiger is centered around our children and we are doing really good – we really are – and I am so happy that is the case. He is a great father,” she told People Magazine in 2014.
Although she never remarried, she dated billionaire Christopher Cline for a few years. The current status of their relationship is unknown, however.
4. He Had an Affair Rachel Uchitel
Rachel Uchitel’s name was in the papers back in 2001, when her then-fiance, James Andrew O’Grady, was killed in the 9/11 attacks. She has worked as a hostess, nightclub manager, and a television personality over the years, and has even appeared on Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew in 2010.
When the news of Woods’ affairs first broke, Uchitel did her best to deny having any kind of relationship with the golf pro. In a 2009 interview with Page Six, she denied having an affair with Woods, saying that the stories were made up and that people were paid by the National Enquirer and Star Magazine to spew these lies.
However, Nordegren found text messages between Uchitel and Woods, and her cover was completely blown. It didn’t take long for other women’s names to surface, which gave Uchitel a little room to breathe. Although she is and always will be known as the first woman that was named in Woods’ scandal, she wasn’t the only woman — not even close. Woods was also linked to Jaimee Grubbs and Kalika Moquin, to name a couple.
Uchitel has also had an affair with David Boreanaz and, rumor has it, with Jeremy London as well. London denied having a relationship with Uchitel, telling Radar Online that the two were just friends.
“I’m very protective of Rachel because of our friendship. She’s been wrongfully persecuted by the media and because of what the media has done to me after I was nearly murdered, I relate to her,” he told the outlet in 2010.
In 2011, Uchitel married insurance underwriter Matt Hahn. The two welcomed their first child together, a daughter named Wyatt, in May 2012. The two split the following year and their divorce was finalized in 2014.
5. He Was Exposed as a Serial Cheater & Went to Rehab for Sex Addiction
In December 2009, several more details about Woods’ secret life had been exposed. In just two weeks time, there were 14 women that were on Woods’ mistress list.
His career was in limbo as he was losing endorsements left and right. He was dropped by Nike and Gillette, for example, and he became one of the most controversial celebrities in the world.
Woods decided that he needed to take a step back. He announced that he was going to put his career on the back burner and take a break from golf. A few weeks later, he checked into a rehab facility, seeking treatment for sex addiction.
“I want to say to each of you simply and directly I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behavior I engaged in. The issue involved here was my repeated irresponsible behavior. I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated. What I did is not acceptable, and I am the only person to blame. I do plan to return to golf one day, I just don’t know what day that will be. I don’t rule out that it will be this year,” he said in a statement at the time.
In 2017, Woods checked into rehab for help with an addiction to pills.