On March 23, 2025, Tiger Woods, the 49-year-old golf legend, publicly confirmed his relationship with Vanessa Trump, the 47-year-old ex-wife of Donald Trump Jr., by posting two photos on social media, captioned, “Love is in the air and life is better with you by my side! We look forward to our journey through life together.” The announcement, reported by outlets like People and The Guardian, marks a new chapter for Woods, whose history of high-profile relationships and infidelity scandals—most notably his 2010 divorce from Elin Nordegren after multiple affairs—has long been tabloid fodder. Vanessa, who divorced Donald Jr. in 2018 after 12 years of marriage and five children, had been quietly dating Woods since around Thanksgiving 2024, with the couple spotted together at events like the Genesis Invitational in February 2025. Their relationship, initially kept private, became a family affair, as their children—Woods’ son Charlie and Vanessa’s daughter Kai, both competitive golfers—attend the same school in Palm Beach, Florida, and have competed together in junior tournaments.
 

Woods’ decision to post intimate photos, including one of the couple cuddling in a hammock, has sparked speculation about his intentions, with some suggesting he’s angling to cement ties with the Trump family through marriage. Donald Trump Jr. has reportedly taken the relationship in stride, with sources telling People he’s “cool” with it, while former President Donald Trump, who honored Woods at a White House Black History Month event in February 2025, has long praised him as a “great guy” and awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2019. However, Woods’ history of serial infidelity—his marriage to Nordegren imploded amid revelations of affairs with over a dozen women, and his later relationship with Erica Herman ended messily in 2022—casts a shadow over his motives. Critics on platforms like X have called him out, with some users framing his pursuit of Vanessa as another notch on a “well-used and indiscriminate” belt, suggesting he’s less interested in genuine connection and more in the prestige of aligning with a politically powerful family, especially given Trump’s return to the presidency.
 

The idea of Woods joining the Trump family through marriage raises questions about power dynamics and legacy. Woods, a man who has spent decades rebuilding his image after personal and professional scandals, might see this relationship as a way to secure a new kind of influence, leveraging the Trump name to bolster his post-golf career—especially as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles tendon that has sidelined him from the sport. Yet, the move also risks further scrutiny of his character, as his past suggests a pattern of using relationships for personal gain, only to discard them when they no longer serve him. Vanessa, a former model with her own history of high-profile romances, may be a willing participant in this public display, but the Trump family’s acceptance of Woods—a man once vilified for his moral failings—highlights the transactional nature of their world, where loyalty and legacy often trump personal history. Whether this relationship leads to marriage or merely another chapter in Woods’ storied romantic life remains to be seen, but it undeniably positions him closer to the center of American political royalty.