The past week has been quite eventful for Tiger Woods, as the prominent golf figure suffered an Achilles injury and was revealed to be in a secret relationship with Vanessa Trump.
DailyMail.Com was the first to report on this new romantic involvement of golf’s leading star. Vanessa Trump, following her split from Donald Trump Jr. in 2018, has been romantically linked with Woods since Thanksgiving.
Though finding joy in his personal life after his recent loss with his mother’s passing, Woods now faces a fresh challenge in his professional career due to the Achilles injury he incurred.
But according to close friend and fellow golfer Fred Couples, Woods is in positive spirts despite the huge setback.
‘I’ve texted him as soon as it happened, he got back to me, I’ve texted him on a couple of other things – TGL, his daughter just won the state soccer thing,’ Couples said.
‘That was before he hurt himself, he was on cloud 20. He is in great spirits for a ruptured Achilles, he really is. He’ll be fine.
Tiger Woods tore his Achilles last week before it emerged he is dating Vanessa Trump
Golf star Woods, 49, has been dating Donald Trump Jr.’s ex-wife Vanessa Trump, 47, since Thanksgiving. They are pictured arriving at a golf tournament on February 16
‘It’s such a bummer because people think ‘when is he going to play?’. He was scheduled to play a few events, not a ton but a few events.
‘And his mother passing away would slow anyone down but he is my man and texting him is a lot of fun.’
The 15-time major winner Woods was preparing for his latest comeback at home in Florida when he felt a ‘sharp pain’ in his left heel that turned out to a devastating blow.
In a statement, Woods said: ‘As I began to ramp up my own training and practice at home, I felt a sharp pain in my left Achilles, which was deemed to be ruptured.
‘This morning, Dr. Charlton Stucken of Hospital for Special Surgery in West Palm Beach, Florida performed a minimally-invasive Achilles tendon repair for a ruptured tendon.
‘I am back home now and plan to focus on my recovery and rehab, thank you for all the support.’
But the news curtails any hope fans held of seeing Woods play at The Masters at Augusta next month.
Woods and Trump live 20 minutes apart in the wealthy southern Florida enclave of Palm Beach and were spotted together at a golf tournament last month.
Woods appeared alongside President Trump at the White House on February 20 during a reception honoring Black History Month
Vanessa’s eldest daughter Kai, 17, and Woods’ children Charlie, 16, and Sam, 17, all attend the $38,595-a-year The Benjamin School.
Kai Trump and Charlie Woods are both aspiring golfers with sights set on turning professional. Both are competing in this week’s Sage Invitational in South Carolina but it hasn’t been the most successful week for either.
Last month, at the PGA Tour’s Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines in California, they were pictured arriving together.
Kai, who committed to playing golf at the University of Miami next year, wore an outfit from Woods’ clothing line.
In February, Vanessa took Kai to watch a round of the TGL, the golf league created by Woods and Rory McIlroy.
Meanwhile, President Trump met up with Woods for a round of golf last month before heading to the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
Woods announced the passing of his mother Kultida at age of 80 the beginning of February, pulling out of the Genesis tournament he hosts in San Diego.
‘It’s been a tough process to go through,’ Woods said. ‘But I’ve had amazing family support, all the players have reached out that were playing here this week.
Tiger’s kids Sam (center) and Charlie (left) attend school with Kai Trump at The Benjamin School. Sam Alexis Woods, 17, plays soccer and Charlie Axel Woods, 16, also golfs
‘The amount of texts and emails and nice messages of support I got has really helped and it really means a lot to me.
‘Mom was my rock. My dad worked at McDonnell Douglas at the time, working on the Delta rocket, and mom would take me to every junior event here in Southern California.’
The 49-year-old then added about his mom: ‘She was hard on me about school, about getting good grades and doing well in school.
‘To be honest with you, if I didn’t get any homework done I wasn’t allowed to play. So it was important that I got good grades and school came first before any sport I was playing.
‘She meant everything to me, and losing her has been a very hard and difficult process to go through.’
But for now, Woods needs to focus on his recovery. This latest injury continues a miserable run of ailments, which included almost losing his right leg in a car accident.
He has previously torn the Achilles tendon in his right ankle as well as rupturing ligaments in his left knee.
Last September, Woods had a sixth back operation in 10 years. The surgery was formally referred to as ‘microdecompression surgery of the lumbar spine.’
Woods, an 82-time winner on the PGA Tour, suffered extensive injuries from a horror, single-vehicle car crash in 2021 that broke his right leg and ankle and required emergency surgery.
He later had another ankle surgery to address lingering issues in 2023, weeks after withdrawing from that year’s edition of The Masters.
