theGrio

Back to the Top

Main menu

Skip to primary content
Skip to secondary content
  • Home
  • Entertainment
    • Music
    • The Dish
  • Health
    • Ask Dr. Ty
    • Black Men’s Health
    • Black Women and Breast Cancer
    • Back to School Health
  • Living
    • Travel and Leisure
    • Living Forward
    • Books
  • Politics
    • Perry on Politics
  • Sports
  • News
    • Good News
  • Opinion

News

Tiger Woods, wife officially divorced

by theGrio | August 23, 2010 at 3:30 PM
Comments
Print

Related Posts

  • Tiger Woods says divorce a sad time in his life
  • Tiger's ex-wife says she went 'through hell'
  • How divorce may help save Tiger's golf game
  • Tiger Woods in a 'more grounded place now'
  • 'South Park' season premiere: Tiger Woods got golf-clubbed

Divorced. Single dad. Golf game still to be determined.

And so, after nine months of turmoil over his extramarital affairs, now begins the next chapter in the life and times of Tiger Woods.

In a hearing that lasted no more than 10 minutes in a Florida judge’s chambers, Woods and his Swedish-born wife officially divorced Monday.

“We are sad that our marriage is over and we wish each other the very best for the future,” Woods and Elin Nordegren said in a joint statement released by their lawyers.

The divorce was granted shortly after 2 p.m. in Bay County Circuit Court in Panama City, Fla., about 375 miles from their Isleworth home outside Orlando, where Woods drove his SUV over a fire hydrant and into a tree on Thanksgiving night. That set off shocking revelations that sports’ biggest star had been cheating on his wife through multiple affairs.

Woods’ life and golf game have been in disarray ever since.

He and Nordegren were married Oct. 5, 2004, in Barbados and have a 3-year-old daughter, Sam, and an 18-month-old son, Charlie.

WATCH MSNBC COVERAGE OF TIGER WOODS’ DIVORCE:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Terms of the divorce — such as how much it will cost Woods — were not disclosed. They said only that they will “share parenting” of their two children.

Nordegren, who for years tried to stay in the background, was captured on video by celebrity websites eating lunch or picking up her daughter from school.

“We love Elin, and we are so proud of the grace and strength she has shown during this difficult time,” her father, Thomas Nordegren, a talk show host at national broadcaster Swedish Radio, told The Associated Press. “We know that she will come out of this even stronger and has a bright future in front of her.”

The divorce was finalized by Bay County Circuit Judge Judy Pittman Biebel during a 10-minute hearing in a conference room in her chambers, according to Biebel’s judicial assistant, Kim Gibson. Woods and Nordegren were present, along with their lawyers, Gibson said.

“I don’t comment on active cases,” Thomas J. Sasser, Woods’ divorce attorney, said. Asked why they chose to file in Panama City, Sasser said it was a joint decision by the lawyers.

Nordegren’s attorneys — including her twin sister, London-based Josefin Lonnborg — referred all questions to the statement.

Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, declined to comment when asked if the couple had a prenuptial agreement or terms of the settlement. “We’re not commenting beyond what was in the release,” he said.

Nordegren’s mother, Barbro Holmberg, also declined to comment.

Nordegren, who once worked as a nanny for Swedish golfer Jesper Parnevik, asked to have her maiden name restored as Elin Maria Pernilla Nordegren.

The sordid sex scandal cost Woods three major corporate sponsors — Accenture, AT&T and Gatorade — worth millions of dollars, and he lost his stature the gold standard in sports endorsements. A month after the scandal became public, Woods spent two months in therapy at a Mississippi clinic with hopes of saving his marriage.

“While we are no longer married, we are the parents of two wonderful children and their happiness has been, and will always be, of paramount importance to both of us,” they said in the statement. “The weeks and months ahead will not be easy for them as we adjust to a new family situation, which is why our privacy must be a principal concern.”

Some of the court documents indicated that Woods had to focus on his marital woes as well as his golf this summer.

He completed a four-hour course on “Parent Education and Family Stabilization” on July 10, the day before he left to play the British Open. He had won the previous two times at St. Andrews by a combined 13 shots, but this time finished 13 shots behind in a tie for 23rd.

The couple signed a marital settlement agreement on July 3 and July 4, the weekend of the AT&T National outside Philadelphia, where Woods failed to break par in a PGA Tour event for the first time in 11 years.

Nordegren completed her four-hour program through FloridaParentingClass.com on Aug. 16, the day after Woods tied for 28th in the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. It was the first time in nearly seven years he had finished out of the top 20 in consecutive majors.

Documents also show that the children lived at their primary home at Isleworth until November 2009 — the Woods car crash was Nov. 27 — and that Nordegren had moved out to a nearby residence since then.

Woods is to play this week at The Barclays, his first tournament as a single man in nearly six years. He needs a good performance just to get out of the first round of the FedEx Cup playoffs, which he won the previous two times he played, and he also is trying to show he is worth picking for the Ryder Cup, where wives take on a visible role.

Since returning to golf at the Masters, Woods has not come close to winning a tournament. He tied for fourth in the Masters and in the U.S. Open, both times taking himself out of contention early in the final round.

One example of how the impending divorce has affected him came last month when he played in a charity pro-am in Ireland, which ended on Tuesday. Instead of staying overseas to practice on links courses, Woods flew home to Florida for six days to see his children and then returned to Scotland for the British Open.

Woods has won 82 times worldwide — 36 times and six majors while married — in his professional career. His last victory came at the Australian Masters on Nov. 15, his last trip before his serial infidelity was uncovered.

___

Associated Press Writers Curt Anderson and Lisa Orkin in Miami, and Karl A. Ritter in Stockholm contributed to this report.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.

  • some-200-women-gang-raper-near-congo-un-base.jpg
    Next Story:

    Some 200 women gang raped near Congo UN base

  • This undated handout photo released by the Sesame Workshop in Lagos, Nigeria shows muppets Kami, left, and Zobi, the two main characters in Nigeria’s upcoming “Sesame Square.” After years away from the Nigerian airwaves, Sesame Street will return with a Nigerian version titled “Sesame Square” beginning late September 2010 in Africa’s most populous nation. (AP Photo/Sesame Workshop)
    Previous Story:

    Nigeria tailor-makes a yam-packed 'Sesame Street'

Filed in: News, Sports, Video | Related Topics: Adultery, Children, Divorce, Elin Nordegren, Golf, Marriage, Sex Scandal, Tiger Woods
  • Learn about our User Panel

    Read More
  • New Stories on theGrio

    • Malcolm X’s grandson buried in NY Malcolm X’s grandson buried in NY
    • Aretha Franklin taking June off, postponing shows Aretha Franklin taking June off, postponing shows
    • Black Americans retiring earlier, with less savings Black Americans retiring earlier, with less savings
    • Worst foods for high blood pressure Worst foods for high blood pressure
    • Eve talks new album and lack of women unity in hip-hop
    • Is Beyoncé really a feminist?
    • Tiger is taunted with ‘fried chicken’ again by foe
    • 9-year-old schools Rahm Emanuel
  • What Your Friends Are Reading

  • More from theGrio

More Stories on theGrio

Top News

Politics

  • President Barack Obama, accompanied by, from left, Vice President Joe Biden, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and FEMA Deputy Administrator Richard Serino. talks about the Oklahoma tornado and severe weather, Tuesday, May 21, 2013, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

    Obama pledges urgent aid to Oklahoma town

  • South Africa: Mandela name becomes political football

  • Michelle Obama: Too many 'fantasize about being a baller or a rapper'

  • White House aides learned of IRS details in April, but didn't tell Obama

» Read More in Politics

Business

  • cash-16x9.jpg

    Payday loans: A debt trap in disguise

  • Tiger Woods makes a comeback on the course, and in video game sales

  • A timeless classic: Top career lessons from ‘The Great Gatsby’

  • Boyz II Men appear in new Old Navy commercial

» Read More in Business

Living

  • Using a cheek sample or blood sample, Myriad’s laboratory delivers a report to the person’s physician, outlining the person’s risk.

    The breast cancer genetic test folks are talking about

  • Young black producer shakes up Great White Way

  • Essence, MSNBC unite for live coverage of the 2013 Essence Fest

  • Black anti-abortion activists see 'houses of horror' everywhere

» Read More in Living

Inspiration

  • Fourth grader Damian Kline tells his story of surviving the tornado while at Plaza Towers Elementary in Moore, Okla. (Courtesy The Today Show)

    Tornado survivor saved by teacher

  • Obama speech makes Morehouse grads 'proud'

  • Twins named Spelman valedictorians

  • DC Central Kitchen helps people struggling to join workforce

» Read More in Inspiration

Entertainment

  • biggie-smalls-16x9

    Biggie would have been 41 today

  • Beyoncé's 'Grown Woman' single leaked online

  • Will Kanye's marketing blitz backfire?

  • 'X-Factor' close to signing Kelly Rowland as judge

» Read More in Entertainment

News

  • The Oklahoma City Thunder stand attended for the National Anthem before Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the Houston Rockets at Chesapeake Energy Arena on April 21, 2013 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

    Thunder stars show support for tornado victims

  • Dozens arrested at protests over Chicago public school closings

  • Obama pledges help after deadly Okla. tornado

  • Beam her up: Gabby Douglas is back in the gym

» Read More in News

Main menu

Skip to primary content
Skip to secondary content
  • Politics
  • Living
  • Video
  • Inspire
  • Health
  • Entertainment
  • News
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise with TheGrio
  • About
©2013 NBCUniversal
Powered by WordPress.com VIP