From the get-go, many people around Tiger Woods recognized his talent and wanted to represent him as he initiated his dream of becoming one of the best golfers in the world. One such man was the then IMG agent, Hughes Norton. He contacted the Woods family when the 15-time major winner was only 12 and was with the pro until he fired him unexpectedly in 1998. Norton revealed in The Golfer’s Journal podcast that to this day he has not gotten any closure from Woods’s side, and he also talked about it in his book, ‘Rainmaker’.
But Norton remembered the one reason Woods gave him for his termination and explaining it, the ex-agent said, “Earl [Woods] was quoted as saying, Hughes was all about the money and Tiger is about much more than that.” Because of this statement, Norton highlighted that in the two years he worked for Woods, he had him sign a deal with Titleist and Nike, worth $60 million, the latter was only broken off in 2023. The former IMG agent also shared that he helped him earn millions from Rolex, American Express, and EA Sports deals. The AmEx reportedly paid him $25 million while the deal he enjoyed the most was with EA Sports as he loved video games, which paid him around $100 million over the years, per Norton.
But, even after Woods fired Norton, he didn’t stop signing new endorsements. So, the former agent had a question about the statement made by Earl Woods. He called out his double standards and said, “If Hughes is all about the money then why over the next two years, after he fired me, did Tiger sign new commercial endorsement deals with AT&T and with Accenture and with Buick and with Gillette and with Gatorade? That’s inconsistent with, ‘We are going to dump Hughes because he’s too much about the money and he’s always coming up with these deals’ “ that they could not refuse.
Which company reportedly paid Tiger Woods $100 million over the years for an endorsement deal?
Rolex
American Express
EA Sports
Nike
Even after more than two decades passed, Norton had all these questions that would probably remain unanswered. However, as he tried to understand the decision to fire him, he came up with his own closure because he unfortunately could not get one from his former employee.
Norton shares the probable rationale behind his firing
Just when Tiger Woods told him about the money deals being the reason for his termination, Hughes Norton rang Earl Woods. He explained on the podcast that maybe the age difference between him and Woods was the reason but he also related to Earl and Kultida Woods’ mindset. When he started working with Woods, Hughes recounted that he grew a respectable relationship with Earl Woods, and he was actually supportive of his decisions.
However, after Woods turned pro, he moved from Cypress, California, to Florida, and for the first time in his life, the 48-year-old was without his father and learning and adjusting to his new life as a professional. As he was learning to make his own decisions without his father’s interference.
Is Tiger Woods’ silence on Hughes Norton a sign of unresolved conflict or strategic discretion?
Norton said, assuming Earl Woods’s thoughts, “He’s [Tiger Woods] becoming a man, he’s making his own decisions for the first time because I, Earl have basically run his life up to this point. Even though we think this decision is foolish and frankly stupid because of the job Hughes has done, we’re going to support him because it’s his decision.” And that’s why Earl Woods supported his son in firing Norton per the ex-agent.
Is that the whole truth? We may never know about it, as Tiger Woods has never given any statement on Hughes Norton, and it is uncertain if he would ever do so.
