Voicemail and a car crash: How Tiger Woods’ cheating scandal emerged
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite becoming the first athlete to make $USD 1 billion in 2009, it was also the year that saw Tiger Woods’ life crumble around him as </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://honey.nine.com.au/latest/tiger-woods-cheating-scandal-details-elin-nordegren-what-happened-explainer/b93a94da-8d22-4398-a9d3-2c4d58a26c11" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">it was revealed</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> he had been cheating on his wife Elin Nordegren with multiple women.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In November of that year, tabloids reported on Woods’ affair with nightclub manager Rachel Uchitel. Several days later, he crashed his car outside his Florida mansion at 2am, with rumours emerging that he had tried to flee after being confronted by Nordegren.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Following the news of his crash, reports of his infidelity continued to surface from a number of women.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some outlets also reported that Nordegren made the discovery while looking at Woods’ phone.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A voicemail allegedly left by Woods for one of the women he was seeing was later published by </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">US Weekly</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Hey, it’s Tiger,” a man said in the message. “I need you to do me a huge favour. Can you please take your name off your phone? My wife went through my phone and may be calling you.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though Woods initially denied the claims, he later admitted they were true and apologised.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Over the next few months, women continued to come forward with claims of sleeping with Woods during his eight-year relationship with Nordegren.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He would go on to speak about the situation and share new details at a press conference several months later.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I was unfaithful, I had affairs and I cheated. What I did was unacceptable,” he said at the time.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I hurt my wife, my kids, my mother, my wife’s family, my friends, my foundation and kids all around the world who admired me.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A year later, Woods and Nordegren announced they would be getting a divorce.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Daily Beast</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the couple had a prenuptial agreement that would see Nordegren receive $20 million after 10 years of marriage.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though Woods allegedly tried to negotiate their existing prenup to get Nordegren to stay – allegedly including an immediate $5 million payment and an added $55 million to the original value - the divorce was finalised. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to TMZ, she received $USD 100 million ($AUD 129 million or $NZD 106 million).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite their marriage ending, Woods and Nordegren have maintained a good relationship.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The former couple share two children: Sam Alexis, 14, and Charlie Axel, 12.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We communicate so much better now, it’s incredible,” Woods told </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">US Weekly</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in 2019. “I wish we would have done that earlier on, but it’s been incredible to have a best friend like that.”</span></p>
<p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty Images</span></em></p>
