Elin Nordegren
Encyclopedia
Elin Maria Pernilla Nordegren (ˈeːlɪn ˈnɔɖəɡreːn; born January 1, 1980) is a former Swedish
model and the ex-wife of professional golfer
Tiger Woods
.
, Sweden. Her mother, Barbro Holmberg
, is a politician and the former Swedish migration and asylum policy minister, and the current Governor of Gävleborg County
. Her father, Thomas Nordegren
, is a radio journalist who served as a bureau chief in Washington, D.C. She has an older brother, Axel, and a twin sister, Josefin. Nordegren and her sister worked odd summer jobs and as cashiers in supermarkets to finance their studies. She started modeling in 2000, and appeared on the cover of Cafe Sport magazine in the summer of 2000.
, who hired Nordegren as the nanny to their children, a job that required her to move to the U.S. He introduced her to Woods during the 2001 Open Championship
. Parnevik also is being quoted as having said, "I'm kind of filled with sorrow for Elin since me and my wife are at fault for hooking her up with him, and we probably thought he was a better guy than he is." [People Magazine] Previously, Woods had asked for a year to be introduced to Nordegren, who was seeing someone else at the time. "She had no interest in Tiger and he was OK with that," Mia Parnevik said. "There was a big line of single golfers wanting to meet her. They were gaga over her." She had hopes at the time of becoming a child psychiatrist.
In November 2003, Woods and Nordegren attended the Presidents Cup
tournament in South Africa and became officially engaged when Woods proposed at the luxury Shamwari Game Reserve
.
They were married in October 2004, by the 19th hole of the Sandy Lane resort
in Barbados. The 150 guests included Michael Jordan
and Charles Barkley
. Woods rented the entire complex for a week, including three golf courses and 110 rooms, costing almost .
Shortly after Nordegren's relationship with Woods became public, nude photographs purporting to be of Nordegren began circulating on the Internet, which were established to be fakes. Despite the debunking, in 2006, Irish magazine The Dubliner
published the nude photographs and stated they were of Nordegren. On November 16, 2006, Nordegren filed a libel suit against The Dubliner. Nordegren won the lawsuit, and as part of the settlement accepted by a Dublin court, The Dubliner was required to publish a lengthy apology in a variety of venues. Were the magazine to have failed to meet the conditions, the award would have been increased to $366,500 plus all of Nordegren's legal expenses.
On June 18, 2007, Woods announced the birth of the couple's daughter, Sam Alexis Woods, a day after finishing second in the U.S. Open. On September 2, 2008, Woods announced they were expecting another child in late winter. Five months later it was announced that Nordegren had given birth to a boy, Charlie Axel, on February 8, 2009.
In December 2009, her marriage to Woods was the subject of extensive media coverage after Woods admitted to infidelity, which had been revealed following his single-vehicle accident near the family's Florida home. Woods subsequently announced he would take an "indefinite break" from golf to work on his marriage. These efforts were unsuccessful, however, as Nordegren and Woods finalized their divorce in the Bay County Circuit Court in Panama City, Florida, on August 23, 2010. Nordegren's legal team included her sister, Josefin (who is licensed to practice law in England and Sweden) and several of Josefin's U.S. colleagues at international law firm McGuireWoods
.
in Winter Park, Florida
, where she is studying psychology.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
model and the ex-wife of professional golfer
Professional golfer
In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...
Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
.
Early life
Nordegren was born in StockholmStockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden. Her mother, Barbro Holmberg
Barbro Holmberg
Barbro Holmberg is a Swedish Social Democratic politician. On October 10, 2003, she was appointed Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy in the Swedish Government...
, is a politician and the former Swedish migration and asylum policy minister, and the current Governor of Gävleborg County
Gävleborg County
Gävleborg County is a county or län on the Baltic Sea coast of Sweden. It borders to the counties of Uppsala, Västmanland, Dalarna, Jämtland and Västernorrland. The capital is Gävle.- Administration :...
. Her father, Thomas Nordegren
Thomas Nordegren
Carl Axel Thomas Nordegren is a Swedish journalist and writer. Nordegren has worked as a foreign correspondent for Swedish National Radio in Helsinki, Brussels, and later in Berlin and Washington, D.C. He has been a visiting professor at New York University. Currently, he has his own radio talk...
, is a radio journalist who served as a bureau chief in Washington, D.C. She has an older brother, Axel, and a twin sister, Josefin. Nordegren and her sister worked odd summer jobs and as cashiers in supermarkets to finance their studies. She started modeling in 2000, and appeared on the cover of Cafe Sport magazine in the summer of 2000.
Marriage to Tiger Woods
Nordegren took a job in a Stockholm clothing store called Champagne, where she met Mia Parnevik, wife of Swedish golfer Jesper ParnevikJesper Parnevik
Jesper Bo Parnevik is a Swedish professional golfer. He spent 38 weeks in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings in 2000 and 2001.-Early years:...
, who hired Nordegren as the nanny to their children, a job that required her to move to the U.S. He introduced her to Woods during the 2001 Open Championship
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
. Parnevik also is being quoted as having said, "I'm kind of filled with sorrow for Elin since me and my wife are at fault for hooking her up with him, and we probably thought he was a better guy than he is." [People Magazine] Previously, Woods had asked for a year to be introduced to Nordegren, who was seeing someone else at the time. "She had no interest in Tiger and he was OK with that," Mia Parnevik said. "There was a big line of single golfers wanting to meet her. They were gaga over her." She had hopes at the time of becoming a child psychiatrist.
In November 2003, Woods and Nordegren attended the Presidents Cup
Presidents Cup
The Presidents Cup is a series of men's golf matches between a team representing the United States and an International Team representing the rest of the world less Europe. Europe competes against the U.S. in a similar but considerably older event, the Ryder Cup. The Presidents Cup is held biennially...
tournament in South Africa and became officially engaged when Woods proposed at the luxury Shamwari Game Reserve
Shamwari Game Reserve
Shamwari Game Reserve is located in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa. It is part of the Mantis Group and has been voted the World's Leading game reserve and conservation company for many consecutive years ....
.
They were married in October 2004, by the 19th hole of the Sandy Lane resort
Sandy Lane (resort)
The Sandy Lane Beach Resort and Spa is an upmarket, five-diamond luxury hotel and beach resort situated close to Holetown and Paynes Bay, in Saint James on the island-nation of Barbados. The Sandy Lane Beach Resort was first opened in 1961 on what was formerly a sugar cane plantation...
in Barbados. The 150 guests included Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
and Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley
Charles Wade Barkley is a former American professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Sir Charles" and "The Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley established himself as one of the National Basketball Association's most dominating power forwards...
. Woods rented the entire complex for a week, including three golf courses and 110 rooms, costing almost .
Shortly after Nordegren's relationship with Woods became public, nude photographs purporting to be of Nordegren began circulating on the Internet, which were established to be fakes. Despite the debunking, in 2006, Irish magazine The Dubliner
The Dubliner (magazine)
-Publication format:The magazine had ten issues per year, and contents include opinion, reporting, political and social commentary and essays on Irish culture...
published the nude photographs and stated they were of Nordegren. On November 16, 2006, Nordegren filed a libel suit against The Dubliner. Nordegren won the lawsuit, and as part of the settlement accepted by a Dublin court, The Dubliner was required to publish a lengthy apology in a variety of venues. Were the magazine to have failed to meet the conditions, the award would have been increased to $366,500 plus all of Nordegren's legal expenses.
On June 18, 2007, Woods announced the birth of the couple's daughter, Sam Alexis Woods, a day after finishing second in the U.S. Open. On September 2, 2008, Woods announced they were expecting another child in late winter. Five months later it was announced that Nordegren had given birth to a boy, Charlie Axel, on February 8, 2009.
In December 2009, her marriage to Woods was the subject of extensive media coverage after Woods admitted to infidelity, which had been revealed following his single-vehicle accident near the family's Florida home. Woods subsequently announced he would take an "indefinite break" from golf to work on his marriage. These efforts were unsuccessful, however, as Nordegren and Woods finalized their divorce in the Bay County Circuit Court in Panama City, Florida, on August 23, 2010. Nordegren's legal team included her sister, Josefin (who is licensed to practice law in England and Sweden) and several of Josefin's U.S. colleagues at international law firm McGuireWoods
McGuireWoods
McGuireWoods LLP is a major U.S. law firm with more than 900 attorneys in 19 offices in the United States and Europe. With the firm's largest offices in Richmond, VA, Charlotte, NC, and Chicago, IL, McGuireWoods has recently experienced a period of rapid growth by opening new offices in London in...
.
Education
Nordegren has been enrolled part-time as a student at Rollins CollegeRollins College
Rollins College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Winter Park, Florida , along the shores of Lake Virginia....
in Winter Park, Florida
Winter Park, Florida
Winter Park is a suburban city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 24,090 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 estimates, the city had a population of 28,083. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, where she is studying psychology.
External links
- Photographs of Nordegren at The Huffington PostThe Huffington PostThe Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
- Tiger Woods and Wife: Happier Times slideshow by Life magazine