James Patterson’s latest book delves into the intriguing courtship of Tiger Woods and his ex-wife Elin Nordegren, revealing how the golf legend pursued her in a rather unconventional manner.
Woods, who has been a household name since he burst onto the scene as a teenage golfing sensation, had his personal life, including his marriage to Nordegren, widely followed. The pair met when Nordegren was working as an Au Pair for golfer Jesper Parnevik at the age of 21 in 2001.
Patterson recounts that Woods, then 25, was immediately smitten with the Swedish nanny but too bashful to ask her out himself. Instead, he had someone from his team approach her, a move that initially left Nordegren less than impressed.
“That’s the way he’s lived his life,” Patterson told the Daily Mail, comparing Woods’ approach to getting a wife to ordering room service. “Whatever Woods needed, whether it was room service or a wife, his first instinct was to say, ‘Let’s get a manager to do that’.”
Despite having a boyfriend in Sweden at the time, Nordegren eventually agreed to go on a date with Woods, leading to their marriage in 2004. Meanwhile, Woods was on his way to becoming one of the greatest golfers ever, with his 15 major titles trailing only behind the iconic Jack Nicklaus.
Woods, whose illustrious golfing career began in 1995, has not announced his retirement yet. He clinched his 14th major title in 2008 and then had to wait for 11 years before securing the next big win at the 2019 Masters tournament.
In the sporting season of 2024, he took part in all four major tournaments but only made it through the cut at the Masters. Following his much-celebrated 2019 triumph at Augusta, and due to grave leg injuries from a car accident in February 2021, Woods hasn’t managed to finish in the top 10 at any major event.