Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren confirmed Monday they have divorced — nine months after a single-car accident outside their Florida home set off a torrent of scandalous revelations of infidelity that has marred his private life and plagued his public image and golf game.
"We are sad that our marriage is over and we wish each other the very best for the future," the two said in a joint statement which was posted on Woods' website and on the website of McGuireWoods LLP, counsel for Nordegren. "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.
"Once we came to the decision that our marriage was at an end, the primary focus of our amicable discussions has been to ensure their future well-being. 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."
Judgment was entered Monday in Bay County (Florida) Circuit Court dissolving the marriage. The judgment provides for shared parenting of their two children. The documents do not reveal other details of the settlement.
"There will be no additional comment on the divorce," said William Allcott, a lawyer with McGuireWoods LLP, when asked if details on the settlement could be provided.
Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, declined comment when asked if they 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 comment to the Associated Press.
According to court documents, Woods completed the American Safety Institute's four-hour course on "Parent Education and Family Stablization" on July 10, the day before he left to play the British Open at St. Andrews. Woods, who had won the previous two times at St. Andrews by a combined 13 shots, tied for 23rd.
Nordegren completed her four-hour class through FloridaParentingClass.com on Aug. 16, the start of the PGA Championship.
Documents also show the two children lived at their primary home at Isleworth until November 2009 — Woods crashed his SUV over the fire hydrant and into a tree on Nov. 27 — and that Ms. Nordegren had moved out to a nearly residence since then.
The sordid sex scandal cost Woods three major corporate sponsors —Accenture, AT&T and Gatorade — worth millions of dollars, and he lost his image as 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.
Woods and Nordegren were married Oct. 5, 2004, at the Sandy Lane resort on the Caribbean island of Barbados. On June 18, 2007, Nordegren gave birth to the couple's first child, a daughter, Sam Alexis. On Feb. 8, 2009, she gave birth to their second child, a son, Charlie Axel.
After Woods drove his luxury SUV over a fire hydrant and into a tree in a middle-of-the-night accident after Thanksgiving in front of the family's estate in Windermere, Fla., he admitted to having several extramarital affairs. The news was splashed across newspapers and tabloids worldwide, tarnished his image and cost him millions in endorsements. Woods put his golf career on hold and played his first tournament at the Masters in April. The winner of 71 PGA Tour titles and 14 major championships, however, is winless this season in nine starts.
Woods is scheduled to play in The Barclays, which begins Thursday at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J. It is the first of four events in the FedExCup playoffs. He will meet news reporters Wednesday following his pro-am round.
Divorce final for Tiger and Elin
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Tiger Woods remained No. 1 in the world ranking Monday, though not even close to that on two lists the Ryder Cup and FedEx Cup, that mean much more these days.
Woods failed to qualify for the Ryder Cup for the first time, he had led the standings every other time since 1997 and now must rely on U.S. captain Corey Pavin spending one of four wild-card picks on him.
In a hotel conference room Monday, Pavin sat at the head table between two poster boards, each showing the final standings for the eight American qualifiers. Woods' name was nowhere to be found between Phil Mickelson at No. 1 and Matt Kuchar at No. 8.
Pavin would only say that Woods is "high on my list" and will be a "big consideration" when he announces his selections Sept. 7.
"I'm looking at him in essence like any other player. He isn't ... but he is," Pavin said. "I'm certainly not going to disrespect other players by considering him different from other players. I have to look at the way he's playing, the way he played, and I have to look at his body of work as well. If anyone can turn it around quickly, it's him."
Woods should have at least one more tournament to make an impression.
While he wound up No. 12 in the Ryder Cup standings, equally troublesome is that Woods is No. 108 in the FedEx Cup standings. The top 125 are eligible for The Barclays next week at Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey, the start of the PGA Tour playoffs. Only the top 100 in the standings advance to the second round of the playoffs at the Deutsche Bank Championship outside Boston.
Woods is so far down in the FedEx Cup standings he's one spot behind Pavin.
"He's ranked a lot higher on Ryder Cup points," Pavin said with a laugh, "and probably the world ranking, I'm guessing."
Despite the shockingly low numbers next to Woods' name, Pavin came away from the PGA Championship encouraged as much by what he heard from Woods as what he saw from him.
Woods stated plainly at the start of the week that he wants to play in the Ryder Cup and would accept a captain's pick. Even after he closed with a 1-over 73 to tie for 28th at Whistling Straits, he joked that he could still help out in singles. His Ryder Cup record is 10-13-2, including 3-1-2 in singles.
"I feel my game is a lot better than it was obviously last week, and given a little bit more time, it's starting to head in the right direction now, which is good," Woods said. "And I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully, Corey will pick me on the team."
Woods tied for fourth in the Masters and U.S. Open. He missed the cut at Quail Hollow with the highest 36-hole total of his career, and only a week before the final major, he had the worst tournament of his career when he shot 18-over par at Firestone.
Which guy will show up? Is he even worth a pick?
Pavin was asked about the pros and cons of taking Woods, and he could think only of the positives.
"He's the No. 1 player in the world
Mickelson led the points table for the first time followed by Hunter Mahan, PGA runner-up Bubba Watson, Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker, Dustin Johnson, Jeff Overton and Matt Kuchar.
Four of those players
"I believe the eight players that have qualified is really going to allow a lot of flexibility for the four picks," Pavin said. "It's not just going to be about a type of player. There's going to be a lot of room for maneuvering."
Also missing from the list is Anthony Kim, the star of the American victory two years ago. Kim had thumb surgery in May, missed three months and has played poorly in the two tournaments since he returned.
Still, it all centers on Woods.
"I'm very encouraged by the way he played last week," Pavin said. "He did a lot of good things. One of them may not have been driving the ball, but he grinded hard, he chipped the ball beautifully and putted better. His improvement from the Bridgestone to the PGA Championship was large. And I think he was encouraged by it."
Pavin is not planning to play in The Barclays, worn out from playing so many big tournaments the last month. Even so, he plans to keep in touch with Woods.
And what Woods says might go a way toward what Pavin decides.
"I have to evaluate how he's playing," Pavin said. "And he has to help me evaluate, just like any other player. If he feels he wants to take himself out of it, then that's fine. If he feels like he wants to play, then it's my decision."
Pavin says Tiger 'high on his list' for Ryder Cup
Woods failed to qualify for the Ryder Cup for the first time, he had led the standings every other time since 1997 and now must rely on U.S. captain Corey Pavin spending one of four wild-card picks on him.
In a hotel conference room Monday, Pavin sat at the head table between two poster boards, each showing the final standings for the eight American qualifiers. Woods' name was nowhere to be found between Phil Mickelson at No. 1 and Matt Kuchar at No. 8.
Pavin would only say that Woods is "high on my list" and will be a "big consideration" when he announces his selections Sept. 7.
"I'm looking at him in essence like any other player. He isn't ... but he is," Pavin said. "I'm certainly not going to disrespect other players by considering him different from other players. I have to look at the way he's playing, the way he played, and I have to look at his body of work as well. If anyone can turn it around quickly, it's him."
Woods should have at least one more tournament to make an impression.
While he wound up No. 12 in the Ryder Cup standings, equally troublesome is that Woods is No. 108 in the FedEx Cup standings. The top 125 are eligible for The Barclays next week at Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey, the start of the PGA Tour playoffs. Only the top 100 in the standings advance to the second round of the playoffs at the Deutsche Bank Championship outside Boston.
Woods is so far down in the FedEx Cup standings he's one spot behind Pavin.
"He's ranked a lot higher on Ryder Cup points," Pavin said with a laugh, "and probably the world ranking, I'm guessing."
Despite the shockingly low numbers next to Woods' name, Pavin came away from the PGA Championship encouraged as much by what he heard from Woods as what he saw from him.
Woods stated plainly at the start of the week that he wants to play in the Ryder Cup and would accept a captain's pick. Even after he closed with a 1-over 73 to tie for 28th at Whistling Straits, he joked that he could still help out in singles. His Ryder Cup record is 10-13-2, including 3-1-2 in singles.
"I feel my game is a lot better than it was obviously last week, and given a little bit more time, it's starting to head in the right direction now, which is good," Woods said. "And I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully, Corey will pick me on the team."
Woods tied for fourth in the Masters and U.S. Open. He missed the cut at Quail Hollow with the highest 36-hole total of his career, and only a week before the final major, he had the worst tournament of his career when he shot 18-over par at Firestone.
Which guy will show up? Is he even worth a pick?
Pavin was asked about the pros and cons of taking Woods, and he could think only of the positives.
"He's the No. 1 player in the world
Mickelson led the points table for the first time followed by Hunter Mahan, PGA runner-up Bubba Watson, Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker, Dustin Johnson, Jeff Overton and Matt Kuchar.
Four of those players
"I believe the eight players that have qualified is really going to allow a lot of flexibility for the four picks," Pavin said. "It's not just going to be about a type of player. There's going to be a lot of room for maneuvering."
Also missing from the list is Anthony Kim, the star of the American victory two years ago. Kim had thumb surgery in May, missed three months and has played poorly in the two tournaments since he returned.
Still, it all centers on Woods.
"I'm very encouraged by the way he played last week," Pavin said. "He did a lot of good things. One of them may not have been driving the ball, but he grinded hard, he chipped the ball beautifully and putted better. His improvement from the Bridgestone to the PGA Championship was large. And I think he was encouraged by it."
Pavin is not planning to play in The Barclays, worn out from playing so many big tournaments the last month. Even so, he plans to keep in touch with Woods.
And what Woods says might go a way toward what Pavin decides.
"I have to evaluate how he's playing," Pavin said. "And he has to help me evaluate, just like any other player. If he feels he wants to take himself out of it, then that's fine. If he feels like he wants to play, then it's my decision."
Pavin says Tiger 'high on his list' for Ryder Cup
VERONA, New York — Vaughn Taylor is ready for redemption when the Turning Stone Resort Championship gets under way on Thursday.
Taylor lost last year in a six-hole, sudden-death playoff to give Matt Kuchar his first victory on the U.S. PGA Tour in seven years.
"It took me a little while to kind of get over it, but at the same time it helped me lock up my card, and you know, it was a good thing," Taylor said. "I used it as confidence. Coming into this year, when I've been in the hunt, I've felt a lot better because of last year and the playoff. So it's been a positive all in all.
"Still think about it every now and then, wish I had a shot or two over again, but that's the way it goes."
While Kuchar tees off at the Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio on Thursday, Taylor will be back at Atunyote Golf Club to compete in the Turning Stone Resort Championship.
The 34-year-old Taylor, who has two victories on tour the Reno-Tahoe Open in 2004 (in a playoff) and again in 2005 is brimming with confidence after finishing sixth at the John Deere Classic two weeks ago, his fifth top 10 of the year.
"I think confidence is definitely high," said Taylor, 38th on the U.S. money list with $1.5 million. "Anytime you play well somewhere and you come back, you have good memories, good feelings."
Turning Stone is part of the race for the FedEx Cup title this year after being part of the Fall Series since its inception. And good things have happened to its past two champions.
Dustin Johnson was 357th in the world rankings the week before he won at Turning Stone as a rookie two years ago. Johnson has since won twice on tour, and his victory at Pebble Beach in February made Johnson the first player since Tiger Woods to win in his first three years on tour after leaving university.
Kuchar ranked 101st in the week before his playoff victory over Taylor and went on to record top 10s in four of his next five starts. This year, Kuchar is ranked No. 26, two spots ahead of Johnson, and both are poised to qualify for their first Ryder Cup team.
Among those in the Turning Stone field of 132 are: Steve Flesch, the inaugural winner in 2007, David Duval, Rocco Mediate, and Australian John Senden, who has two top fives in three starts at Atunyote.
Turning Stone Resort chief executive Ray Halbritter originally gave himself a sponsor's exemption to play in the tournament, then recanted on Sunday. The 60-year-old Halbritter, who has passed a PGA of America playing ability test, was the driving force behind landing a U.S. PGA Tour event here four years ago and said he didn't want to be a distraction.
Gavin Hall, a 15-year-old from nearby Pittsford, received an exemption to make his first career U.S. PGA start.
If Hall makes the cut and that's entirely possible because two weeks ago the left-hander shot a 10-under-par 62 to set an all-time scoring record at the U.S. Junior Amateur he would be the second-youngest player in PGA Tour history to do so (Bob Panasik was the youngest, at the 1957 Canadian Open).
Vaughn Taylor ready to make amends at Turning Stone
Taylor lost last year in a six-hole, sudden-death playoff to give Matt Kuchar his first victory on the U.S. PGA Tour in seven years.
"It took me a little while to kind of get over it, but at the same time it helped me lock up my card, and you know, it was a good thing," Taylor said. "I used it as confidence. Coming into this year, when I've been in the hunt, I've felt a lot better because of last year and the playoff. So it's been a positive all in all.
"Still think about it every now and then, wish I had a shot or two over again, but that's the way it goes."
While Kuchar tees off at the Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio on Thursday, Taylor will be back at Atunyote Golf Club to compete in the Turning Stone Resort Championship.
The 34-year-old Taylor, who has two victories on tour the Reno-Tahoe Open in 2004 (in a playoff) and again in 2005 is brimming with confidence after finishing sixth at the John Deere Classic two weeks ago, his fifth top 10 of the year.
"I think confidence is definitely high," said Taylor, 38th on the U.S. money list with $1.5 million. "Anytime you play well somewhere and you come back, you have good memories, good feelings."
Turning Stone is part of the race for the FedEx Cup title this year after being part of the Fall Series since its inception. And good things have happened to its past two champions.
Dustin Johnson was 357th in the world rankings the week before he won at Turning Stone as a rookie two years ago. Johnson has since won twice on tour, and his victory at Pebble Beach in February made Johnson the first player since Tiger Woods to win in his first three years on tour after leaving university.
Kuchar ranked 101st in the week before his playoff victory over Taylor and went on to record top 10s in four of his next five starts. This year, Kuchar is ranked No. 26, two spots ahead of Johnson, and both are poised to qualify for their first Ryder Cup team.
Among those in the Turning Stone field of 132 are: Steve Flesch, the inaugural winner in 2007, David Duval, Rocco Mediate, and Australian John Senden, who has two top fives in three starts at Atunyote.
Turning Stone Resort chief executive Ray Halbritter originally gave himself a sponsor's exemption to play in the tournament, then recanted on Sunday. The 60-year-old Halbritter, who has passed a PGA of America playing ability test, was the driving force behind landing a U.S. PGA Tour event here four years ago and said he didn't want to be a distraction.
Gavin Hall, a 15-year-old from nearby Pittsford, received an exemption to make his first career U.S. PGA start.
If Hall makes the cut and that's entirely possible because two weeks ago the left-hander shot a 10-under-par 62 to set an all-time scoring record at the U.S. Junior Amateur he would be the second-youngest player in PGA Tour history to do so (Bob Panasik was the youngest, at the 1957 Canadian Open).
Vaughn Taylor ready to make amends at Turning Stone
CHARLOTTE (AP) — Charlotte's PGA Tour event at Quail Hollow Club is getting another name.
Title sponsor Wells Fargo & Co. announced Tuesday it's putting its name on the tournament again, so the event will be renamed the Wells Fargo Championship. It had been called the Quail Hollow Championship the past two years.
The tournament had been the Wachovia Championship since its inception in 2003. When Wells Fargo bought Wachovia in 2008 at the beginning of the financial crisis, it decided to take the bank's name off the tournament even though it was honoring the sponsorship deal through 2014. The decision stemmed from criticism financial institutions were receiving during the federal bailouts.
Wells Fargo puts its name on Charlotte PGA Tour event
Title sponsor Wells Fargo & Co. announced Tuesday it's putting its name on the tournament again, so the event will be renamed the Wells Fargo Championship. It had been called the Quail Hollow Championship the past two years.
The tournament had been the Wachovia Championship since its inception in 2003. When Wells Fargo bought Wachovia in 2008 at the beginning of the financial crisis, it decided to take the bank's name off the tournament even though it was honoring the sponsorship deal through 2014. The decision stemmed from criticism financial institutions were receiving during the federal bailouts.
Wells Fargo puts its name on Charlotte PGA Tour event
BARRINGTON, R.I. (AP) — Suzann Pettersen and Hunter Mahan (FSY) made up two strokes on the last two holes and tied Juli Inkster and Boo Weekley (FSY) for the lead at 10-under par after the first round of the CVS Caremark Charity Classic on Monday.
The teams shared the lead after opening 61s in the 10-team best-ball tournament involving PGA Tour, LPGA and Champions tour members at Rhode Island Country Club. The 36-hole event concludes Tuesday.
Pettersen and Mahan were 8-under with two holes remaining before the six-time LPGA Tour winner rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt at the 17th and Mahan made a 10-footer for birdie at the 18th to forge a tie.
"Suzann made a great bird on 17 and I had an easier one on 18," Mahan said. "The greens were exceptional. I thought they would be softer but they were in perfect shape.
"It's a great course to play on because you can make some birdies."
Pettersen-Mahan tied with Inkster-Weekley for lead at Charity Classic
The teams shared the lead after opening 61s in the 10-team best-ball tournament involving PGA Tour, LPGA and Champions tour members at Rhode Island Country Club. The 36-hole event concludes Tuesday.
Pettersen and Mahan were 8-under with two holes remaining before the six-time LPGA Tour winner rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt at the 17th and Mahan made a 10-footer for birdie at the 18th to forge a tie.
"Suzann made a great bird on 17 and I had an easier one on 18," Mahan said. "The greens were exceptional. I thought they would be softer but they were in perfect shape.
"It's a great course to play on because you can make some birdies."
Pettersen-Mahan tied with Inkster-Weekley for lead at Charity Classic
Phil Mickelson has his eyes set on becoming No. 1 this week.
The No. 2 player in the world returns to the PGA Tour after a two-week break and needs to win the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial to knock Tiger Woods off his No. 1 throne, where he's been residing the past 259 weeks and for 601 weeks during his career. Mickelson, the reigning Masters champion and a runner-up at the Quail Hollow Championship, has never been the No. 1 player in the world despite four major championships and 38 PGA Tour victories.
Getting to No. 1 this week won't be easy. The field is loaded, led by all four major winners from 2009 —Angel Cabrera (Masters), Lucas Glover (U.S. Open), Stewart Cink (British Open) and Y.E. Yang (PGA Championship). As well, 17 of the top 30 in the world golf rankings are in Fort Worth, as are 13 winners on the Tour this season, including Steve Stricker, Geoff Ogilvy, Ian Poulter, Jim Furyk, Hunter Mahan, Tim Clark and Dustin Johnson...
On the bag: Mickelson once again takes aim at No. 1 ranking
The No. 2 player in the world returns to the PGA Tour after a two-week break and needs to win the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial to knock Tiger Woods off his No. 1 throne, where he's been residing the past 259 weeks and for 601 weeks during his career. Mickelson, the reigning Masters champion and a runner-up at the Quail Hollow Championship, has never been the No. 1 player in the world despite four major championships and 38 PGA Tour victories.
Getting to No. 1 this week won't be easy. The field is loaded, led by all four major winners from 2009 —Angel Cabrera (Masters), Lucas Glover (U.S. Open), Stewart Cink (British Open) and Y.E. Yang (PGA Championship). As well, 17 of the top 30 in the world golf rankings are in Fort Worth, as are 13 winners on the Tour this season, including Steve Stricker, Geoff Ogilvy, Ian Poulter, Jim Furyk, Hunter Mahan, Tim Clark and Dustin Johnson...
On the bag: Mickelson once again takes aim at No. 1 ranking
Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. — In a wacky week at The Players Championship, where a rowdy spectator was subdued by a Taser and the world's No. 1 player withdrew with a neck injury with 12 holes left, perennial runner-up Tim Clark finally broke through for his first PGA Tour win.
In his 206th start on Tour, the scrappy, 5-7 South African came up big on the Tour's biggest stage with a bogey-free 67, the lowest score on a sun-splashed Sunday when wind, firm conditions and lightning greens at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass conspired to send scores soaring to an average of 74.18. Davis Love III was the only other player to break 70.
Clark finished at 16-under-par 272, one shot ahead of Robert Allenby. Lucas Glover, with a late charge that included a 48-foot birdie on the 17th hole, finished third. Lee Westwood, the overnight leader, made double bogey on the 17th en route to a 74 and a tie for fourth...
Tim Clark wins The Players to claim his first PGA Tour title
In his 206th start on Tour, the scrappy, 5-7 South African came up big on the Tour's biggest stage with a bogey-free 67, the lowest score on a sun-splashed Sunday when wind, firm conditions and lightning greens at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass conspired to send scores soaring to an average of 74.18. Davis Love III was the only other player to break 70.
Clark finished at 16-under-par 272, one shot ahead of Robert Allenby. Lucas Glover, with a late charge that included a 48-foot birdie on the 17th hole, finished third. Lee Westwood, the overnight leader, made double bogey on the 17th en route to a 74 and a tie for fourth...
Tim Clark wins The Players to claim his first PGA Tour title
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