Who is Tiger Woods’ ex-wife Elin Nordegren and why did the Swedish model divorce Masters 2019 winner?
TIGER WOODS’ Swedish ex-wife Elin Nordegren made the news in 2017 when she was sentenced for speeding at almost 100mph in Florida.
But with the golf legend now back on form and securing his first major win in 11 years at the 2019 Masters, who is the former model and why did she divorce the golfing legend in 2010?
Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren divorced in 2010[/caption]
Who is Elin Nordegren?
Elin Nordegren is a model from Sweden.
She started her career when she was 20 and appeared on the cover of Cafe Sport magazine in the summer of 2000.
Born in Stockholm, Nordegren’s mum Barbro Holmberg, is a politician and the former Swedish migration and asylum policy minister.
Her dad Thomas Nordegren, is a radio journalist who served as a bureau chief in Washington, D.C.
Prior to breaking into modelling, Nordegren, along with her twin sister Josefin, worked odd summer jobs in supermarkets to fund their studies.
In 2014 Nordegren graduated from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, with a degree in psychology – and bagged the Outstanding Senior award.
How and when did Nordegren meet Tiger Woods?
Nordegren was working in a clothes shop in Stockholm when she met Mia Parnevik, wife of Swedish golfer Jesper Parnevik.
The couple then hired the model to be nanny to their kids, a job that took Nordegren to the US.
Tiger and Elin finally met at the 2001 Open Championship – after he spent a year begging Parnevik to introduce him to the Swede, who was seeing someone else at the time.
Mia Parnevik said at the time: “She had no interest in Tiger and he was OK with that. There was a big line of single golfers wanting to meet her. They were gaga over her.”
In November 2003, Nordegren and Woods attended the President’s Cup tournament in South Africa.
They then announced their engagement after Woods popped the question at the Shamwari Game Reserve.
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How did the couple’s marriage end?
Things turned sour in November 2009, when it was claimed he had an affair with New York nightclub boss Rachel Uchitel.
The golf ace slept with 120 women while he was still married to Nordegren.
He was also accused of spending tens of thousands of pounds on escort girls while playing in tournaments.
Tiger was subsequently forced to apologise for his infidelity and attend a rehab course for sex addiction.
He said in a message on his website at the time: “I am deeply aware of the disappointment and hurt my infidelity has caused – most of all to my wife and children.”
Nordegren walked away from her marriage one of golf’s greatest ever players with £72m.
Last month, she put her gorgeous, custom-built Florida mansion on the market for a staggering £36million.