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

After winning the inaugural FedExCup playoffs in 2007, Tiger Woods was unable to defend his title the following year as he recovered from reconstructive knee surgery.


Starting Thursday in The Barclays at Ridgewood Country Club, Woods will be hard-pressed to successfully defend his second FedExCup title as he continues to mend a shattered game — and deal with his divorce from Elin Nordegren that was finalized Monday.

Although he remains No. 1 in the official world golf rankings, Woods begins this year's playoffs ranked 112th in the points race. Winless in nine starts this season — the longest he's gone to start a season without a win in his professional career — Woods has battled an assortment of ailments plaguing his game, from his driver to his putter.

In The Barclays, Woods needs to at least finish between 50th and 57th, or better, this week to be one of the top 100 to advance to next week's Deutsche Bank Championship, the second of four playoff events. Each carries a $7.5 million purse, and there's a $35 million bonus pool up for grabs.

Woods has not finished better than a tie for 23rd in his last four events.

Woods needs finish of 50th-57th, or better, to advance in playoffs

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 that's a pretty good 'pro,'" Pavin said. "Obviously, I'm considering him highly, no doubt about it. He's' playing better. I think we have all seen that. And he wants to play he wants to be part of the team. But it's going to be my judgment whether I pick him or not. I don't think there are any con's."

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 Watson, Johnson, Overton and Kuchar have never played a Ryder Cup. Stricker and Mahan played the first time two years ago at Valhalla. Overton, meanwhile, became the first American to qualify for the Ryder Cup without having won on the PGA Tour.

"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

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — Tiger Woods was clearly enjoying himself between shots, laughing with good friend Darren Clarke (FSY) as they played 18 holes at the birthplace of golf.

Not a bad way to spend a sunny afternoon. But the number on the card needed to be lower. A lot lower.

All Woods could manage on Saturday at the British Open was a second straight 73, despite having four putts for eagle on the Old Course. None of them would drop, and the distance between the world's No. 1 player and the only spot he really cares about grew from eight shots at the beginning of the third round to a daunting dozen by the time it was done.
Woods will be a mere sidelight on the final day, no matter how many times someone yells, "You da man!" Even at a tournament that can change drastically, given the fluky elements of the Scottish seaside, no one has ever come back to win from more than 10 shots down heading to the fourth round.

While Woods was on the fringe of contention at his first two majors post-scandal, he hasn't been much of a factor at St. Andrews since opening with a 5-under 67 in pristine conditions on Thursday.

"I hit it good," Woods said. "I striped it all day. I just didn't get anything out of the round. I couldn't build any momentum. I wasn't making any putts."

It was easy to zero in on the root of his problems: Look no further than the flat stick.

Woods had a putter in his hand with eagle on the line at the ninth, 12th and 14th holes, the latter being the lone par-5 among them. Two birdies and a three-putt par was the best he could do.

Woods faces 12-shot deficit heading to British Open finale

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Tiger Woods kept saying he was still in it, even as he looked increasingly out of it.

By the end of business Saturday after the third round of the 2010 U.S. Open, Woods had made eight birdies and a ferocious move up the leaderboard, going from tied for 25th into third place all by himself, five strokes behind the unlikely third-round leader, long-hitting Dustin Johnson.

Here's a thought. Woods, fresh off his well-documented personal troubles, wins the U.S. Open on Father's Day. Let's consider that image for a moment. If it happens, it would be a bit different than the Phil Mickelson story at the Masters, now wouldn't it?

Seven shots off the lead when he started his round, and nine behind after back-to-back bogeys on the second and third holes, Woods stormed back to put himself in position to win his fourth U.S. Open, and second at Pebble Beach, with a dramatic 5-under-par back nine in Saturday's third round.

Tiger sets himself up for a dramatic Father's Day

DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — Rickie Fowler (FSY) has tied the 36-hole record at the Memorial with a second round of 66 to take a four-shot lead among early starters at Muirfield Village. Defending champion Tiger Woods played well enough to make the weekend.

The 21-year-old Fowler eagled the par-5 15th, then poured it on with three birdies late in his round to reach 13-under 131. That ties the record set by Scott Hoch (FSY) in 1987.

Fowler sets Memorial standard; Tiger Woods to make the cut