Tiger Woods’ Romantic History: From Elin Nordegren Marriage To Erica Herman & More
While Tiger Woods is best known for his golf game, his love life, and the scandals that came with it, have also been splashed across the front pages over the years.
A new HBO documentary telling the story of Tiger Woods’ life premieres on Jan. 10. The two-part series, which is aptly-named Tiger, will delve into the professional golfer’s childhood and his rise to fame, while also detailing the scrutiny of his personal life in the public eye. Of course, that means a look into Tiger’s romantic history, which has made major headlines over the years. Ahead of the documentary premiere, take a look back at the women in Tiger’s life:
Elin Nordegren
Elin Nordegren is a Swedish model who was first introduced to Tiger by a Swedish golfer named Jesper Parnevik at a golf tournament in 2001. Elin was working as a nanny for Jesper’s children at the time. The two started dating and got engaged in November 2003. They tied the knot less than one year later in Oct. 2004 in Barbados, and their daughter, Sam, was born 2007. They had a second child, Charlie, in 2009.
Unfortunately, Tiger and Elin’s marriage began falling apart in 2009 when reports first surfaced that he had cheated on her. The following month, he admitted to being unfaithful, and more women came forward claiming to have had affairs with Tiger. At first, Elin was desperate to save the marriage, especially for the sake of the pair’s young kids. However, she eventually filed for divorce, which was finalized in Aug. 2010.
Elin was very private about the scandal at first, but after the divorce, she opened up about how blindsided she was by the affairs. “I never suspected, not a one,” Elin admitted. However, she didn’t slam her ex-husband in the press. “I wish him all the best in the future, as a person and as an athlete,” she stated. “I know he is going to go down as the best golfer that’s ever lived, and rightfully so.” In 2019, Elin had a baby with former NFL player Jordan Cameron.
Rachel Uchitel
Although Tiger reportedly had affairs with dozens of women during his marriage to Elin, the most memorable mistress of them all is Rachel Uchitel. Rachel, a nightclub manager, was the subject of the first tabloid cover exposing Tiger’s infidelities in Nov. 2009. At the time, she denied being romantically involved with the golfer.
However, Rachel will now appear in the Tiger documentary to speak about her time with the 45-year-old. “Here he was, in my bed, and he was my Tiger,” Rachel can be seen saying in a trailer for the special. After news of her relationship with Tiger broke, she was hounded by the press and paparazzi for months, but was eventually able to move on with her life out of the spotlight.
Now, Rachel is the proud mom of a daughter, who she gave birth to in May 2012. At the time, she was married to her daughter’s father, Matt Hahn, a football player. The two broke up in 2013 and their divorce was finalized at the beginning of 2014.
Lindsey Vonn
Tiger recovered from the fallout of his affairs and divorce, and yes, he even eventually started dating again. He met fellow athlete Lindsey Vonn, a professional skier, at a charity event in 2012. In March 2013, they confirmed that they were dating. Unfortunately, their relationship fizzled out and they split in May 2015.
“After nearly three years together, Tiger and I have mutually decided to end our relationship,” Lindsey said at the time. “I will always cherish the memories that we’ve created together. Unfortunately, we both lead incredibly hectic lives that force us to spend a majority of our time apart. I will always admire and respect Tiger. He and his beautiful family will always hold a special place in my heart.” Lindsey got engaged to NHL star, P.K. Subban, in 2019, but at the end of 2020, they announced that they had broken up, as well.
Kristin Smith
Tiger’s next relationship, with stylist Kristin Smith, was more private than his previous romances. The two were first linked in Nov. 2016, and dated until the following summer. In 2018, it was reported that Tiger allegedly had Kristin sign a non-disclosure agreement at the time of their breakup to stop her from talking about what led to their split in the press. An legal battle ensued when Kristin wanted out of the NDA, according to TMZ.
Erica Herman
Since the fall of 2017, Tiger has been in a relationship with a restaurant manager named Erica Herman. The two met because Erica was serving as the manager at one of Tiger’s restaurants. Erica is close with Tiger’s kids, and also appears to have an amicable relationship with Elin. At the end of 2020, Tiger and his son Charlie, 11, played in a golf tournament together, with Elin and Erica watching from the sidelines with each other. Could she be the one!?