Woods and wife ‘sad’ as marriage ends

DISGRACED golfer Tiger Woods has divorced from his Swedish wife, Elin Nordegren.

In a joint statement on the world number one’s website, the pair said they were “sad that our marriage is over” and wished “each other the very best for the future”.

The divorce comes after Woods was forced to apologise publicly for infidelity after a string of lurid allegations about affairs with a number of women.

The 34-year-old multimillionaire lost a series of lucrative endorsements in the wake of the allegations.

The couple’s statement added: “While we are no longer married, we are the parents of two wonderful children and their happiness has been, and will always be, of paramount importance to both of us.

“Once we came to the decision that our marriage was at an end, the primary focus of our amicable discussions has been to ensure their future well-being.

“The weeks and months ahead will not be easy for them as we adjust to a new family situation, which is why our privacy must be a principal concern.”

The marriage was formally dissolved yesterday in a Florida court and the divorce judgment provides for joint custody of their two children.

The golfer’s world began to unravel after he crashed his car on November 27 last year. There was speculation that the collision with a fire hydrant came after he clashed with Nordegren, a former swimwear model.

Woods was forced to make a carefully staged televised apology after a string of women – including a porn actress and cocktail waitress – came forward and claimed they had relationships with him.

He has not admitted to specific relationships, but said “just one is enough and obviously that wasn’t the case”.

When he made the apology in February, he said: “Elin and I have started the process of discussing the damage caused by my behaviour. As Elin pointed out to me, my real apology to her will not come in the form of words; it will come from my behaviour over time.”

He denied his wife had attacked him on the night of the crash and praised her for showing “enormous grace and poise” as the stories emerged. Woods said he “ran straight through the boundaries” that a married couple should observe and convinced himself that “normal rules didn’t apply”.

Woods, who went into therapy, has recently returned to golf with limited success and is in danger of losing his status as the best golfer in the world.