Tiger Woods has won the Open Championship three times, with his last victory in 2006
Tiger Woods Reflected on Divorce, Co-Parenting, and Life Beyond Golf
In a 2015 interview, Tiger Woods revealed that he had developed a fantastic relationship with his former wife, Elin Nordegren, and expressed that he would be the one to explain to their children the reasons behind their divorce.
Woods and Nordegren had split in 2009 after he admitted to a number of affairs, bringing their six-year marriage to an end in 2010. At the time of the interview, the pair had two young children — daughter Sam, who was eight, and son Charlie, six.
“I wanted it to come from me so that when they came of age, I could just tell them the real story,” Woods had said. “I had taken the initiative with the kids and told them up front, ‘Guys, the reason why we’re not in the same house, why we don’t live under the same roof, is because Daddy made some mistakes.’ I just wanted them to understand before they reached internet age and discovered things online or heard them from friends.”
The former world number one, who had won the last of his 14 major titles in 2008, had not played golf since undergoing back surgery in September and October 2015. Approaching his 40th birthday in December, Woods told *Time* magazine how his relationship with Nordegren had evolved.
“In hindsight, it wasn’t about changing 2009 itself, but about having a more open, honest relationship with my ex-wife,” he had reflected. “The relationship I had with her by then was fantastic. She was one of my best friends. We could pick up the phone and talk to each other anytime. We both knew the most important thing in our lives was our kids. I wished I had known that back then.”
As for his golf career, Woods admitted he had been unable to set a timeline for a return, having played only seven tournaments in 2014.
“I had a good run,” he had said. “I did a lot more in the game than I ever thought I could. To be in my 30s and to have accomplished so much — I never would have foreseen it.
“With all my heart, I didn’t want to stop playing golf. It wasn’t what I wanted to happen, and it wasn’t what I was planning to let happen. But if it did, it did — I had reconciled myself to that.
“It was more important for me to be with my kids. I didn’t know how I could have lived with myself if I couldn’t be part of their lives. That, to me, was truly special.”
