Things are heating up between Tiger Woods and his girlfriend, Vanessa Trump – and the golf legend is depending on her to help him navigate the transition as his professional career winds down after a litany of injuries.
Woods’ career appears to be limping to a sad conclusion after he revealed he isn’t at all close to a return in the wake of lumbar disk replacement surgery two months ago – but off the course, things are far more positive with Vanessa.
‘She came into his life at just the right time,’ a source close to Woods told the Daily Mail. ‘She showed up as he was seriously considering what happens next in his career. She has added so much stability on the home front, and he gushes about her influence in his life.’
‘And it’s gotten really, really serious,’ the source continues. ‘It’s a much more mature relationship than anything he’s been in before, and he’s going into it with his eye on something long term. Ideally, for the rest of his life. Of everyone he’s dated since [his ex-wife] Elin, I’d say Vanessa is the closest thing to a soulmate he’s ever had.’
‘She’s going to be the one who’s with him during his transition away from the sport,’ the source adds. ‘Whenever he misses the competition, he can talk to her; she grounds him and is just there for him to bounce things off of. She’s a true partner in every sense of the word.’
Woods and Trump began dating in November 2024 after meeting at events at the $38,595-a-year Benjamin School, where both their children attended.
Vanessa, 47, married ex-husband Donald Trump Jr. in 2005 and divorced in 2018. They share five children: Kai, Donald III, Tristan, Spencer and Chloe. The divorce was relatively amicable, and both Donald Jr. and his father, President Donald Trump, have put their seals of approval on her relationship with Woods, Daily Mail can reveal.
Woods shares two kids – Sam Alexis and Charlie – with ex-wife Elin Nordegren, whom he married in 2004 and divorced in 2010 after a shocking sex scandal in which he publicly admitted to cheating on her with multiple women during their six-year marriage. Many of the women came forward with lurid tales of sexual activity.
Woods eventually attended in-person treatment for sex addiction. Nordegren filed for divorce and eventually received a settlement that insiders said was more than $100 million.
The golf legend was pictured last week wearing a religious bracelet on his left wrist, which Daily Mail can reveal is a Buddhist symbol – usually worn as a reminder of faith – that he has been seen in regularly since his infidelity was uncovered.
The ‘protection cord’, as it is often called, is usually blessed by a monk and signifies a spiritual connection or a pledge to change behavior. Woods has previously claimed he will wear it ‘forever’, seemingly as a reminder of his past misdemeanors.
But none of that matters to Vanessa Trump, who bonded with Woods over their children’s love of golf.
While the relationship began casually, it grew closer last spring, when the couple started being spotted at various events in the Palm Beach area.
Ten days after the Daily Mail exclusively broke the news that Woods was dating the President’s former daughter-in-law, the couple posted pictures on their Instagram account, confirming that they had become an item.
Vanessa, with her daughter Kai, is understood to spend most of her time at Tiger’s mansion
Alongside two pictures of the couple, Woods wrote: ‘Love is in the air and life is better with you by my side! We look forward to our journey through life together. At this time, we would appreciate privacy for all those close to our hearts.’
The Daily Mail can confirm that the couple now spends most of their time at Woods’ South Florida mansion, although Vanessa still maintains a more modest house just 20 minutes away.
‘She’s hardly ever there,’ says the Woods source. ‘She spends all her time with Tiger at his place.
‘They are functioning less like a casual couple, and more like two people who are in a very deep and intimate relationship. They talk about the future, and they see a future with each other. It’s for real, and it’s very serious.’
The relationship is growing more intimate as speculation grows about Woods’ next career steps – and the golfer doesn’t even know what his future holds.
Woods has suffered numerous injuries over the years, including serious leg fractures following a single-car rollover crash in February 2021 after his SUV veered off the road at high speed – 84 MPH in a 45 mph zone. Investigators found excessive speed and inability to navigate a curve as the causes of the crash.
Woods was extracted from the wreckage using the jaws of life. He underwent multiple grueling surgeries, significantly slowing down his career.
He suffered his latest setback in October when he underwent a disc replacement in his spine. The recovery has been brutal, and Woods himself acknowledges that he hoped he would heal quicker.
‘I just got cleared last week to chip and putt, so that’s good,’ he said at a press conference before the Hero World Challenge.
‘It’s been six weeks since my surgery. It’s been slow, and you can’t really do anything on a disc replacement. You’ve got to let it set.
‘Now we’ve got the ok to start cranking up a little bit in the gym, start strengthening and doing more of the rotational component I haven’t been able to do.’
Woods will turn 50 on December 30, making him officially eligible to compete on the PGA senior tour, though it remains unclear whether he is aiming for another run at the top level.
The 82-time PGA Tour winner joined the Golf Channel’s broadcast during the final round of the Hero World Challenge on Sunday.
During his appearance, he bantered with fellow professional-turned-commentator Kevin Kisner – and many viewers took to social media to say that he’s a natural on-camera.
It is likely that a TV career is next for the 49-year-old Woods, who would command a huge salary if he were to take a role with a broadcaster alongside a more casual on-course career.
Woods has not played competitively since the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon.
Once the dominant #1 player in the world – he has spent a record 683 weeks at the top of the chart – Woods has now fallen out of the top 2000 in the Official World Golf Rankings.
‘He’s known it’s not going to last forever,’ says the Woods source.
